Building permission rights in city centres now with KHADC

SHILLONG, Oct 18: The state government has relinquished its right over nine areas falling under the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) and handed it over to the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC).
The Governor of Meghalaya has notified certain areas as ‘city centre zones’ for Shillong Agglomeration according to Section D8.1 of the Meghalaya Building Bye-Laws, 2021, Deputy Secretary of Urban Affairs Martina Lyttan said on Tuesday.
The areas include Nongthymmai, Madanrting, Golf Link, New Shillong Township, Rynjah, Lapalang, Garikhana, Iew Mawlong and Demseiniong.
Following this notification, the building permission and building bye-laws of these areas will now come under the Khasi Hills Building and Structure Regulatory Authority (KHBSRA) under the chairmanship of Paul Lyngdoh, the Executive Member in charge of Building Bye-Laws.
The notification was issued after four rounds of meeting between the KHADC and the Urban Affairs Department.
Lyngdoh said the development is a huge leap forward for the autonomous district councils as the KHADC has been given jurisdiction of the areas falling under MUDA several decades after its creation.
“It is an endorsement of the constitutional authority of the KHADC. I would like to congratulate the Urban Affairs Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar for having endorsed our constitutional position. This has taken shape after deliberations over the last two months,” he said.
He, however, stated it is a huge responsibility. “We will ensure we will deliver on the responsibility shouldered upon us,” he added.
Earlier, the KHBSRA had decided to go ahead with the implementation of the Meghalaya Building Bye-Laws, 2021, and the issuance of building permission.
Lyngdoh said the process for issuing building permission by the council in the areas within its jurisdiction has already started.
He said the Meghalaya Building Bye-Laws, 2021, will be implemented until the council has its own set of bye-laws in conformity with the state bye-laws.
According to the notification, commercial buildings in the city centre zones can be permitted up to a height of 27 metres (inclusive of parking floor, basement/lower ground floor, underground floor/cellar, mezzanine floor, service floor, if any) with a maximum of seven permissible floors (inclusive of parking floor, basement/lower ground floor, underground floor/cellar), a maximum permissible FAR of 2.5 and permissible plot coverage of a maximum of 50%.