SHILLONG, JULY 28: Regional political parties, traditional heads and ngos on Tuesday resolved to serve a week’s deadline to the state government demanding immediate withdrawing of the MUDA building byelaws from the schedule areas.
They have even threatened to stage a protest march to the government’s secretariat if the state government fails to address the issue within the stipulated time.
The decision was unanimously taken at a public rally sponsored by the Hill State People Democratic Party (HSPDP) held at Malki ground on Tuesday.
Veteran politician and head of the HSPDP Hoping Stone Lyngdoh also joined the crowd of hundreds of people coming from different villages attending the public rally.
Announcing the resolution adopted at the meeting, HSPDP vice president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit said, “We have decided to demand the state government for immediate withdrawal of the MUDA building byelaws from the schedule areas within a period of one week.”
He informed that the deadline will be effective from tomorrow when the delegation submitted the resolution of the meeting to the Chief Minister, Mukul Sangma.
Stating that the ultimatum would expire on August 5, Basaiawmoit said if the government fails to response to the demand put forth, the meeting has agreed to stage a protest march to the main secretariat the next day.
“We are ready to face lathi charge,” he said while appealing to all the villages to be prepared for a shut down and come out in large number for the proposed protest march.
Terming the extension of the building byelaws of the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) as illegal, Basaiawmoit said, we have also mentioned in our resolution to the CM that this is very much in conflict with the Meghalaya Town and Country Planning Act, 1973.
As per the Act, it has clearly stated it shall extend to the whole of Meghalaya excluding the Autonomous District.
Quoting the Urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh who stated that the extension of the byelaws is for ‘safety concerns’, the HSPDP leader said, “I am shocked that the byelaws has been extended only 20 kilometers away from Shillong as if an earthquake will strike only in these areas. If so then let the government comes up with an announcement so that people can evacuate to other areas.”
Stating this is just a tactic to fool the people, the Nongkrem legislator said, “The motive of the government is to continue encroaching from 20 kilometers to 100 kilometers into the schedule areas.”
Besides, the meeting has also expressed resentment against the recent refusal of the MeECL and PHE department to extend electricity and water connection to newly constructed houses under the schedule areas of the district council.
Echoing similar concerns, former KHADC chairperson Teilinia Thangkhiew said, “It seems that the government is going through serious financial crises that it had to violate its own Act by illegally encroaching to the district council’s jurisdiction.”
Alleging that MUDA byelaws attempts to aggravate the problem of poverty, Thangkhiew, also an MDC from Mylliem questioned, “What will happen to those poor people who are beneficiaries of the IAY scheme. When even for construction of houses they have to seek government’s scheme, then from where do the government expect them to pay for the building permission of the MUDA.”- By Our Reporter
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