By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 1: The KHADC’s Executive Member in charge of Building Bye-Laws, Teibor Pathaw said the council is trying its best to issue building permission on time.
“We do not want the people to face any inconvenience because of the delay in issuing the building permission,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
He said a slight delay in issuing the permission happens when the engineers and architects feel the need to redraw the building plans.
Pathaw said the council has issued 313 building permissions out of the 527 applications received since 2022.
He said the officials of the council are presently inspecting the areas falling under the Shillong Agglomeration master plan.
He said there are only a few cases where officials found during the inspection that the people have not obtained the building permission.
“We have requested them to apply for the building permission. People will have to construct houses according to the specifications laid down in the Meghalaya Building Bye-Laws of 2021. We need to take precautions, especially when the state falls under seismic zone 5 prone to earthquakes,” Pathaw said.
The KHADC had approached the state government to allow it to enforce building by-laws in rural areas within the council’s jurisdiction.
Pathaw said the KHADC moved the Urban Affairs Department seeking to expand the jurisdiction of its building permission beyond the area covered by the Shillong Agglomeration master plan.
He, however, said the buildings constructed before January 2023, when the building by-laws of the council were made effective, do not require permission from KHADC. Owners of such buildings only need to produce a certificate specifying the period of construction from the Dorbar Shnong concerned.