Shillong, March 7 : Demanding that government prevents MUDA from implementing its building byelaws in areas under the jurisdiction of the KHADC, Nongkrem MDC, HS Shylla leader HS Shylla threatened to petition the Governor urging him to recommend imposition of “President’s Rule” in the state if the government fails to restrict the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) from extending its building byelaws to areas under the autonomous district council. Speaking to reporters, Shylla, who also an MDC representing Nongkrem constituency, said the MUDA could no longer “encroach” in the scheduled areas following the recent judgment passed by the Meghalaya High Court on the Public interest Litigation (PIL) filed by one Tirot Sing opined Shylla on Monday. “We will have to call upon the people and submit a petition to the Governor for him to recommend President’s Rule in the state if any department concerned is still insisting on MUDA’s occupancy certificate for availing basic amenities like water and electricity connection to newly constructed houses,” Shylla said. Urging the people to inform if there are such instances, he said that they would also gherao such departments adding that he had also submitted an open letter to the Chief Minister to stop MUDA from extending its building byelaws. He also pointed out that the recent ruling of the High Court has disposed of the PIL after the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) had withdrawn the public notice issued on November 5, 2015 to keep in abeyance the operation of the Meghalaya Building Byelaws, 2011 in scheduled areas. He added that similarly the press release issued by MUDA on August, 2015 that the building byelaws will be operationalized in all areas under Shillong Master Plan is also no longer effective as the public notice was stayed earlier by the Court on December last year based on the PIL. “Therefore all litigations on the matter have come to an end after the MUDA decided to withdraw the public notice which came up after there was huge protest against its press release,” he said.In view of this, the UDP MDC alleged that there is no other law to support the MUDA except the Meghalaya Town and Country Planning Act, 1973. According to him, Section 1 (2) of the 1973 Act clearly stated that – “it (byelaws) shall extend to the whole of Meghalaya excluding the Autonomous District.”“This means that the MUDA now can operate only in normal areas including the European wards,” he said.He also termed the move of the KHADC chief PN Syiem to file a fresh petition on the matter as a ‘foolish’ one as the basic issue on which the PIL was filed has been withdrawn. Referring to the High Court judgment that the issues pertaining to other matters can be taken up at an appropriate forum, Shylla said this means that the state government and the KHADC should sit and resolve together the hardship of the people.“However, the problem now is that chief minister and the chief executive member are not in good terms,” he said.
