SHILLONG, June 27: The cabinet has decided to regularise the lands owned by the government that have been encroached by public in Williamnagar, East Garo Hills.
Informing this here on Monday, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said that although the decision for regularisation was taken in 2003, it was not implemented until now.
As per the decision, around 1,200 households in two localities, viz. Balsrigittim and Warimagre in Williamnagar will be regularised and the government will sign a long-term lease with each of the occupants where the ownership of the land will remain with the government.
According to the chief minister, a limit of 10,000 sq ft for each family has been set and the rates for the settlement will be based on the GHADC classification where for Warinagre, which is a first-class land, the rate has been fixed at Rs 2.55 lakh per bigha and for Balsrigittim, which is a second-class land, the rate has been fixed at Rs 1.87 lakh per bigha.
“On a monthly basis, a fixed amount will also be taken from the families,” he said.
With this move, the government is expected to generate a one-time revenue of Rs 8 crore and Rs 2.67 crore yearly from the land at Balsrigittim, and Rs 4.5 crore and Rs one crore from Warinagre land.
Meanwhile, Conrad also informed that similar pattern will be adopted in areas under Tura town, which have been illegally occupied.
Amendment
The Cabinet has also decided to amend the Meghalaya Minor Mineral Concession Rules 2016.
“Earlier, the permissions for sand mining were not given by the departments and through this, the process of legally giving mining leases to individuals to mine in the river beds will be granted,” the chief minister took to Twitter and said.
More approvals
The Cabinet has approved the Meghalaya Protection of Interest of Depositors (in Financial Establishments) Rules, 2022 to ensure implementation of the Meghalaya Protection of Interest of Depositors Act 2018.
Similarly, the amendment to the Meghalaya Police Service Rules, 1996 was also okayed by the Cabinet. “Cabinet has approved the amendment to the Meghalaya Police Service Rules 1996 pertaining to Schedule 1 of the Rules by increasing the number of senior and junior duty posts from 21 to 24 and from 75 to 102 respectively,” the chief minister said.
He said this will do away with the fixing of the number of posts in the Selection Grade & the Junior Administrative Grade and will enable the officers to have served the minimum qualifying years in the senior scale of eight years and junior scale of seven years to be promoted to the next higher grade.