The issue of building permissions was avidly discussed in the ongoing KHADC session and with good intent perhaps. The KHADC has been implementing the building by-laws for areas beyond the Shillong Agglomeration since 2023. Prior to that these areas got their building permissions from the Office of the Syiem of Mylliem after the Rangbah Shnongs routed the applications for permission through their respective offices along with a copy of the building plan. The Office of the Syiem did not have technical manpower to verify the drawings etc., and permission was granted with the usual clauses that the person building the house should keep a distance of 6 feet from the neighbour’s boundary. Today an inspection of all localities beyond Shillong Agglomeration would reveal that no one respects the directives of the Syiem’s office. Most people literally build on their neighbour’s fence and encroach into the public roads. Besides that, houses are built right on the banks of rivers thereby turning the river into a readymade drain. This is characteristic of all the houses and commercial establishments along the Wah Umkhrah and its tributaries.
Questions were raised by members representing the rural areas of Khasi Hills as to whether those building homes there would also need to get building permission. Is it not time for Meghalaya to have uniform laws and regulations across the state? Why should only residents of Shillong and the district headquarters have to abide by building laws while those residing in the rural hamlets “go as you please,” and build their homes such that they have no space for septic tanks to be constructed within their boundary walls. So they strive to ensure that the drain and the rivers become the carriers of human faecal matter. This actually is a matter of grave concern because without buildings by-laws in place everything is turning into a concrete jungle with the roof of one house jutting out into the compound of the next door neighbour. In fact, Shillong and its suburbs today defy all the building bye-laws anyone can think of. Does the Government or the KHADC have the legal teeth to bulldoze the homes of all those who defied the building norms? In that case about 99% or more of homes have to be demolished because for decades it has been a case of free for all. This is a country where rules are made to be broken and Meghalaya is no exception.
Will the KHADC now strictly implement the building bye-laws which also means regular inspection at the time of construction and giving a clean chit for occupation only after the final inspection? If it does so it will be a positive step in the right direction. Better late than never.
