SHILLONG, Feb 9: The state Cabinet on Friday approved the amendments to the Meghalaya Building Bye-Laws of 2021 for sustainable urban development in Meghalaya.
Speaking to media persons after the Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said the amendments have been brought in line with provisions of the Union government to ensure the safety of buildings, proper utilization of land for smaller landowners, and regulating the height of buildings.
The Cabinet also approved the Shillong Urban Mobility Policy, 2024. The Centre mandates the improvement of mobility in Shillong, a policy that includes public transportation, the creation of walking and parking spaces, etc. “The amendment and policy have been adopted so that the state can avail the Special Assistance on Capital Investment for Urban Areas scheme,” Sangma said.
He said the Centre has earmarked Rs 15,000 crore for the scheme that necessitates adherence to certain guidelines and policies.
“We have put in a proposal of Rs 619 crore for Meghalaya for which we have received about Rs 500 crore and another Rs 100 crore is expected after the amendments and policies are put in place,” he said.
This is also to ensure the overall safety of the buildings and ensure better utilisation of land held by small landowners because of the condition to leave space around the built-up area, the chief minister said.
“The space has been reduced and other amendments such as the permissible height of buildings have been made. Certain provisions will also apply to the construction of buildings on slopes of 50 degrees or more,” Sangma said.
He said larger states such as Assam and Uttar Pradesh are receiving about Rs 500 crore as special assistance on capital investment in urban areas, the same as what Meghalaya expects to receive.
In addition, the state government plans to initiate a series of infrastructure projects in Shillong according to the Shillong Urban Mobility Policy of 2024.
Informing reporters that the government will soon introduce electric buses in the city, the chief minister said that under the policy, the government intends to develop footpaths, parking lots, and other facilities to improve public transportation.
Sangma said the government would like to adopt the ‘20 minutes’ concept existing in many parts of the country. The concept entails ensuring the accessibility to a majority of services for a neighbourhood within 20 minutes.
He said the government has floated the tender for four parking lots to be completed by 2025.
He also said the government is looking at creating 10-15 km of walking space for which it envisaged long skywalks. “We are now looking at combining walking spaces (on the ground) and smaller skywalks without disturbing the traffic,” he added.
Sangma further said the government seeks to convert some of the government lands into new parks and spaces to be created for the movement and expansion of the roads. The government also has plans to redevelop Ward’s Lake and the area from the Pinewood Hotel junction to the Botanical Garden.
