SHILLONG, Sept 25 - The power struggle between the Meghalaya Government and the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) continues with the State Government today striking down an �unauthorised� Notification of the Council.
The Government declared the publication of a Notification, relating to land development and building regulation of the Council in the Gazette of Meghalaya (Extra-ordinary) as �unauthorised for not following procedures.�
There has been a constant power struggle between the KHADC and the State Government over the past few months to implement the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority building byelaws in Khasi Hills. The KHADC has argued it is the sole authority to frame such laws in Scheduled areas of Khasi Hills.
As the Council did not have any rules relating to land development and building guidelines, it framed its own rules �Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Land Development and Building) Regulation, 2015� and passed it in the Council recently.
The Under Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya, District Council Affairs department said that under provisions of the Meghalaya Secretariat, Manual of Office Procedures, 1993, �A Gazette (Extra-ordinary) notification can be printed only with the approval of Printing and Stationery department.�
The Under Secretary further stated that under rules, a notification to be published in the Gazette (Extra-ordinary) or the forwarding letter should ordinarily be signed by the Secretary, or in his absence, by an officer not below the rank of a Deputy Secretary.
The Under Secretary noted that such procedures were not followed during publication of the KHADC Notification and so the publication is unauthorised.
Apart from the Notification, the State Government brought in a legislation that now bars MLAs to hold the dual post of an MDC in the District Councils.
