Urban affairs & KHADC to work together

SHILLONG, APR 28: Meghalaya urban affairs department and the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) will be working together on common issue related to hawkers, building bye laws and others.

“We need to coordinate our efforts and am happy we are in the same plane and it is important for us to take that forward,” Urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said after a meeting with the KHADC chief Adelbert Nongrum on Tuesday.

Stating that there is great concern over hawkers issue, Lyngdoh said, “We are in a stage of notifying the hawkers’ committees which will need the inclusiveness of all stakeholders including the KHADC.”

According to Lyngdoh, there is huge increase of hawkers everywhere leading to clogging of the roads. Since such area has a co-jurisdiction between the state government and the KHADC, she said that her department and KHADC are thinking that it is fair that there should be an inclusive approach to such issues.

During the meeting, Wahumkhrah river issue was also discussed.

Lyngdoh informed that  she and NOngrum discussed the Wahumkhrah issue because the KHADC has taken a lead in ensuring that authorities should start taking cognizance of all the anomalies along the river including dumping and management of waste.

Lyngdoh also said, “It is important if you are looking for waste management in Shillong city then  you can’t overlook or underplay the role of district council here or in any other places in the state.”

The meeting between Lyngdoh and the Nongrum also shared concern on the recent earthquake that hit Katmandu, Nepal.

Discussing of earthquake safety, Lyngdoh said that there are certain subject within the purview of the district councils like the permission for granting construction of building of homes and houses in non-municipal areas.

According to Lyngdoh, the building bye law is functional ever since it was enacted and it is functional throughout the state. She said it has becomes a great concern for the government and KHADC and both needs to coordinated to ensure that there are stringent measures ensure that everyone adheres to safety measures in building.

The New Shillong Township (NST) project of the state government was also discussed during the meeting.

Lyngdoh said, “We hope that we can take these issues further and see what we can do together as at the end of the day both of us are in agreement that it is the interest of the people at large that we are here and we should ensure that our approaches remains coordinated.”- By Our Reporter