SHILLONG: The BJP’s South Shillong mandal has written to Urban Affairs Minister Hamlet Dohling on the department’s decision to include all scheduled areas within municipality in the Meghalaya Town and Country Planning Act, 1973.
In its letter, the mandal said the decision was disappointing as the demand of the indigenous people was for exclusion of the scheduled areas from the act.
Reminding the minister about the memorandum submitted by the mandal last June, it said, “…exemption of the act has to be made applicable on all scheduled area as they fall under the administrative control of the autonomous district council. By virtue of various agreement and notification, administered areas were ceded to the then British Government only for the purpose of civic duty and sanitation. However, for the purpose of building laws the powers were never ceded to the state government and no consent was sought from the district council as required under the rules.”
The letter pointed out that as per the earlier memorandum, “it is clearly understood that The Act will operate only in normal areas of Shillong”.
“We once again appeal before your authority to kindly consider our memorandum,” the letter added.
