Shillong, May 5: The state cabinet today approved an amendment to the Meghalaya Building Bye-Laws 2021 that will ease requirements for special projects.
According to government spokesperson Wailadmiki Shylla, earlier projects such as hotels, public institutions, healthcare facilities, shopping malls, multiplexes, and educational institutions, etc required a minimum plot size of 50,000 sq ft and a built-up area of 20,000 sq ft.
He said that to make this more inclusive, the amendment reduces the minimum plot size to 37,500 sq ft and the built-up area to 15,000 sq ft.
Shylla said that this will enable more landowners to qualify under the Special Projects category, encourage multi-storey developments, boost investment, generate employment and support more efficient use of urban land.
Meanwhile, the cabinet also approved the revised estimate of the New Shillong Water Supply Scheme (Phase I).
He said that the revised estimate for the Shillong Township Water Supply Scheme has gone up to Rs 770 crore from Rs 553 crore because an alternative location for the planned dam had to be found.
“We had to take it upstream because of the coming scientific landfill in Nonghali and, also, we have to have a dedicated electrical line, so that has really raised the cost and, at the same time, [the costs have gone up] because of land acquisition. We do realise that it cannot be near the landfill, therefore we had to push it upstream,” Shylla said.
The cabinet also approved two proposals for the purchase of lands to create land banks at Rongalgre in East Garo Hills and in North Garo Hills.
Shylla explained that these land banks are being developed to support future infrastructure projects of the government and to facilitate planned development initiatives in the respective districts.
He informed that 93.59 acres of land will be acquired through direct purchase at a cost of Rs 7.07 crore in East Garo Hills. In North Garo Hills, 26 acres of land will be procured at a cost of Rs 3.9 crore, located approximately 6.7km from the Songsak–Mendipathar Road.
These particular locations were partly chosen for their cost effectiveness as, Shylla said, land in more urban locations would have been more expensive.
He said that government infrastructure projects are coming up in various districts.
“Now it is difficult to get land free of cost. Therefore the government thought that we should have land in hand. In the coming days we may need to build hospitals, schools, universities, etc. That’s why we have come up with these two proposals,” Shylla said.
Other decisions taken by the cabinet today included the approval of an escalation in cost of the Jongksha Indoor Stadium from Rs 22.75 crore to Rs 35.40 crore (a more than 55 percent increase). A change in venue, from Pomlakrai to Jongksha, and increase in size explains the increase. Earlier, cost escalations were routed through the Finance Department but the cabinet has now decided that escalation exceeding 25 percent must go through the cabinet.
The cabinet also approved the regularisation of 98 ad hoc employees appointed before December 31, 2007 and approved an increase in fee on extra neutral alcohol brought into the state from Rs 25 per bulk litre to Rs 30 per bulk litre.
