Shillong, Oct 27: The state cabinet today approved an amendment to the Meghalaya Minor Mineral Concession Rules 2026 to allow the use of minerals incidentally extracted during small-scale construction activities on private land.
Announcing the decision, cabinet minister and government spokesperson Wailadmiki Shylla said the amendment seeks to address situations where boulders, stones and other minor minerals are unearthed unintentionally during activities such as digging wells, constructing houses or developing kitchen gardens.
He said such incidental extraction often occurs during routine construction work, leaving landowners with materials they cannot readily use because of existing rules.
The amendment will provide for the use of minerals extracted unintentionally during such activities on small plots of land, with the provision applying to areas of up to half an acre, Shylla said.
He said the move was intended to help people make use of materials unearthed during construction rather than leave them unused.
Land purchase
The cabinet also approved the purchase of 2.81 lakh square feet (6.45 acres) of paddy fields at Mawkhanu for Rs 13.78 crore to ensure uninterrupted development of the proposed Knowledge City.
Announcing the decision, Shylla said the plots were located between larger stretches of land previously acquired by the government for the project.
He said the intervening paddy fields could affect the use and development of the land if they were not acquired.
The cabinet approved the purchase at Rs 490 per square foot, the same rate paid by the government during its earlier land acquisition in the area.
Shylla also said the Cabinet had approved the leasing of land at Umktieh village for relocating the Doppler VHF Omnidirectional Range (DVOR), an aviation navigation system that currently stands in the way of the expansion of Umroi Airport. He said the decision followed discussions with the Airports Authority of India, with the relocation intended to facilitate the airport expansion.
Roads cost revision
There was also approval for a revision in the cost of nine road projects under the World Bank-assisted Meghalaya Integrated Transport Project (MITP), with cost escalations attributed to rising rates, additional work and changes in the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
Shylla said the nine projects had recorded cost escalations of more than 25 percent, requiring cabinet approval under the state government’s existing norms.
He said the increase was mainly due to the escalation of rates, additional work and the rise in GST from 12 percent to 18 percent since the projects were sanctioned.
The cabinet also approved a revision in the overall cost of the MITP to account for exchange rate gains. Shylla said the project costs had initially been approved based on the dollar exchange rate, and the revision was intended to allow the state to benefit from changes in the exchange rate.
“If the ministry accepts the revision, we will get an additional benefit of Rs 160 crore,” he said.
He clarified that the proposed revision was aimed at accounting for the exchange rate gains, while the separate approval for the nine roads addressed cost escalations in the individual projects.
Investment promotion
The cabinet also approved the guidelines for the Meghalaya Industrial Investment Promotion Scheme 2024, enabling eligible investors to access incentives and subsidies under the scheme.
Shylla said that although the scheme was approved in 2024, the guidelines were necessary to facilitate the disbursement of incentives and other benefits to investors.
The cabinet also approved a two-year extension of service for BM Syiem, Executive Director (Technical) of the Meghalaya Industrial Development Finance Corporation (MIDFC), who is due to retire this month.
Shylla said the extension was granted in view of several pending projects that require Syiem’s involvement.
In another decision, the cabinet approved the recommendation of a selection committee to appoint Justice Wanlura Diengdoh as president of the Meghalaya State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.
The cabinet also approved the appointment of retired IAS officer Ripnar Lyngdoh as the State Chief Information Commissioner.
Shylla said Lyngdoh’s name was recommended by a selection committee comprising the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister in charge of Home and the Leader of the Opposition. She had previously served as a member of the Meghalaya State Information Commission.
