Shylla accuses then MUA-II Govt of misleading people on building byelaws

Shillong, May 16: National People’s Party (NPP) MDC from Nongkrem, H.S. Shylla has slammed the then Meghalaya United Alliance (MUA-II) government for allegedly misleading the people of the state in connection with the building byelaws.

This came a day after the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government led by the NPP has decided to withdraw the implementation of building byelaws by the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) in scheduled areas.

The state government has also asked Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) and the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department to relax the permissions required for providing power and water connection to newly constructed houses.

Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, Shylla said, “The people were made to unnecessary suffer for more than one year just because the former chief minister, Dr Mukul Sangma had misled the people on this issue.”

He said that the previous MUA government in a tripartite meeting held with the KHADC and the traditional heads on December 14, last year had claimed that since the subject matter is still before the Meghalaya High Court, a petition would be filed by the Urban Department before the Court to apprise on the decisions taken.

Shylla, who is also former KHADC chief, however said this was misleading because of the fact that the PIL filed by one Tirot Sing in 2015 was already disposed of by the Meghalaya High Court after the government had withdrawn a notification issued on November 5, 2015 to keep in abeyance the implementation of the building byelaws in the entire state.

Accusing the Congress of bulldozing the district councils, the Nongkrem MDC said that the Mukul-led government in the said meeting had asked the KHADC to notify the town committees and furnish the list to the urban affairs department, which will appoint the local authority under the Meghalaya Town and Country Planning Act, 1973 for the purpose of implementing the Meghalaya Building Bye-Laws outside municipal areas.

“This is an act of bulldozing the KHADC when section 1 sub-section (2) of the Meghalaya Town and Country Planning Act, 1973 clearly states that it shall extend to the whole of Meghalaya excluding the Autonomous District Councils,” he said.

According to him, there has been no resolution adopted by the district councils in the state to indicate that they have welcomed the Act to be implemented in their respective jurisdictions.

“Who is the urban affairs department to order the district council to notify the town committees?” he asked.

Shylla further alleged that the reason that former chief minister Mukul Sangma insisted that the state’s building byelaws is extended beyond the municipal area is because Shillong may not be qualified for getting funds under Smart City project of the Centre.

Hailing the decision taken by the MDA government on the issue, Shylla said, “While the previous Congress government was only good at harassing the people, the issue is now resolved by the present government just in one hour.”

“The Urban affairs department yesterday also clarified that the High Court has disposed of the case and it is here we need to realise that leaders cannot just mislead the people of the state,” he added.

To a question that both the KHADC and traditional heads were privy to last year’s decision along with the state government and have failed to raise objection, Shylla however defended by saying “They were helpless since Mukul was a dictator and he has bulldozed during the meeting.”

 The former KHADC CEM said that the district council now has to work hard and ensure that the building byelaws is in place at the earliest keeping in mind the need to regulate building constructions under its jurisdiction.