The state cabinet today approved amendments to the Meghalaya Building By-Laws 2021 in order to bring the state laws in line with directions from the central government and unleash hundreds of crores of rupees.
Although the amendments are being dubbed as necessary for ‘sustainable urban development’, the devil will be in the details.
One move questions this narrative, with the CM saying that the mandated gap between buildings on adjacent plots of land will be reduced. This rule is already flagrantly ignored in much of Shillong, leading to buildings being pushed up against one another in a cheek by jowl situation. Now the government appears to be giving this legal sanction.
Unscrupulous landowners will welcome the amendment as it will allow them to construct bigger buildings but at the cost of aesthetics and safety.
In addition, the amendments cover permissible building height, construction on slopes, etc.
The cabinet also approved the Shillong Urban Mobility Policy 2024. This again has been done in line with the central government to ensure that the overall mobility in Shillong improves in the form of public transportation, parking spaces, etc.
“These amendments and this particular policy have also been adopted with the intention of also ensuring that we are able to avail the special assistance on capital investment for urban areas,” Sangma said.
The Centre has earmarked Rs 15,000 crore as special assistance for capital investment, especially for urban areas. But to qualify, there are certain guidelines that need to be followed, which has led to the cabinet approving these amendments and policy.
The state government has put in a proposal for Rs 619 crore and has received approval for close to Rs 500 crore with another Rs 100 crore to come in after these approvals, the CM said.
Meanwhile, the cabinet also approved the draft of the Governor’s address for the upcoming Budget Speech.
Approval was also given to the Meghalaya Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act 2006, which will be taken up in the Assembly.
In addition, the Meghalaya Engineering Public Works Department Service Rules 1995 were scrapped in place of new 2024 rules.
