Shillong, Oct 23: The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) has passed a resolution urging the state government to amend the Building Byelaws to address issues faced by low-income families.
While tabling the resolution in the House, Executive Member (EM) Pynkhrawboklin Kharjahrin stated that the current fees for building permission are a burden on the poor.
Kharjahrin explained that the Executive Committee (EC) has decided not to charge building permission fees for low-income households with small plots of land.
The EC also plans to make the fees structure public, so that people know how much they need to pay for building permission, based on the size of their land. For example, the fees range from Rs 2 per square foot for land under 500 sq ft to Rs 3 per square foot for land under 1000 sq ft.
The EM added that the EC will also provide engineers to low-income households, so that they can avoid paying engineer fees. This move is expected to ease the process of obtaining building permission, especially for those who cannot afford it.
However, leader of the opposition Titosstarwell Chyne suggested that instead of introducing a resolution, the EC should write to the state government to amend the Building Bylaws.
Chyne pointed out that the government has already empowered the District Council to implement the Building Permit within the Master Plan Area, and that a letter to the government would be a more effective way to initiate discussions on amending the bylaws.
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