By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The State Government has re-enacted the State Policy on Disaster Management with special focus on putting in place a strong mechanism to monitor structures coming up outside the municipal areas.
“We have the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) to oversee that the building bye-laws are strictly enforced within the municipal areas. But we do not have any such body to carry out the same mandate outside the municipal areas,” Deputy Chief Minister in charge of Revenue and Disaster Management, Prof RC Laloo, said after a Cabinet meeting here on Friday.
He said that the newly enacted State Policy on Disaster Management has empowered the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) with the Deputy Commissioner as its Chairman to ensure that structures outside the municipal areas comply with the various provisions laid down in the building bye-laws.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that the new policy has also made it mandatory for hospitals to adopt safety measures like emergency exit which would be helpful in case of any natural disaster.
