SHILLONG, MAY 5: More landowners in Meghalaya’s urban areas will now be able to develop large-scale projects after the state Cabinet reduced the minimum land requirement for the ‘special projects’ category under the Meghalaya Building Byelaws, 2021.

Cabinet Minister and MDA spokesperson Wailadmiki Shylla said the amendment was cleared on Tuesday to make the category more accessible.

“The state cabinet has approved the amendment of the Meghalaya Building Byelaws, 2021 as amended for special projects category,” he said.

The special projects category covers developments like hotels, hospitals, shopping malls, multiplexes, educational institutions, ICT and BPO centers, and public institutions.

Till now, a project needed at least 50,000 sq ft of plot area and 20,000 sq ft of minimum single cover area to qualify.

“Special projects means those projects/buildings with large scale activities such as hotels, public institutions, health care, shopping malls, multiplex, ICT, BPOs, educational institutions having a minimum plot of area of 50,000 square feet and minimum single cover area of 20,000 square feet,” Shylla said.

Acknowledging that few local landowners hold plots that large, the cabinet has cut the thresholds. The new minimums are 37,500 sq ft for plot area and 15,000 sq ft for single cover area.

“We have seen that many of our people here, they won’t be having such big land of 50,000 square feet. So that is why with this amendment, we have reduced this area from 50,000 square feet to 37,500 square feet and a minimum single cover area of 15,000 square feet,” Shylla said.

He said the revision will help more urban residents tap into benefits available under the category.

“This means that people who have this much land can build the special project where they can get more storey building which benefit them,” he added.