Assam agrees to take up real estate cases from Meghalaya: James

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMay 28, 2020

The state Cabinet on Thursday approved a proposal to take up cases from the state before the Assam’s Real Estate Appellate Tribunal.

After the meeting, Minister in-charge Law James K Sangma told reporters that the cabinet has also authorized the urban affairs department to formally take up the matter with their counterparts in Assam.

According to him, the state so far is yet to have a single case related to the real estate development.

“The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs had also communicated the same to the Assam government, which has expressed their willingness (to allow the real estate appellate tribunal to take up cases from Meghalaya),” Sangma said.

Asked, the minister said that the decision was made after taking into consideration that real estate development in Meghalaya is still in a nascent stage.

Therefore, setting up of a tribunal as well as infrastructures including supporting staff would put huge financial burden on the state’s exchequer.

“Like I said since the real estate development in the state is in its nascent stage, there will not be many cases. In case if few cases do come up, it will not be a problem to send the same to the Assam’s real estate appellate tribunal…,” Sangma stated.

The minister further informed that the cabinet earlier in its sitting held on February 4, this year had approved the Meghalaya Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Rules, 2020.

He said the government had then decided that the Chief Information Commissioner will act as the Appellate Authority.

However, Sangma said when the information was communicated, government’s counsel had raised observation that the decision of the government to appoint the Chief Information Commissioner as the Appellate Authority was not in accordance with the direction of the Supreme Court.

According to him, the Supreme Court’s direction says that permanent arrangement needs to be put in place and not an acting appellate authority.

Meanwhile, the cabinet has also approved amendment of the Rules of Executive Business of the Government of Meghalaya. The proposed amendments were also related to the need to replace the word ‘planning’ by ‘development scheme’.