The Meghalaya cabinet today approved an amendment to the state’s building bylaws that will allow for seven storey buildings in certain areas.
Cabinet minister James Sangma informed that in the case of special projects, where the plot area is more than 50,000 square feet, buildings up to seven floors, with a height of 27 metres, can be built in city centre zones.
Meanwhile, the cabinet also approved the introduction of a new fuel cess of Rs 0.10 per litre of petrol and diesel in order to fund the new Meghalaya Electric Vehicle Policy, which will come into effect from April 1.
Meanwhile, the cabinet also gave its nod to the amendment to the Meghalaya Lokayukta Act 2014, which will allow the government to constitute a single member or multi-member ombudsman.
The Lokayukta should have one Chairperson and a maximum of four members (half of which have to be judicial members), as per the provisions of the original act.
Earlier this month leader of the opposition, Dr Mukul Sangma of the Congress, said that the government had crippled the Lokayukta by not appointing the full number of members.
Today Sangma said the amendment was passed keeping in mind the number of cases and the financial implications of maintaining a multi-member Lokayukta.
