The Shillong Cantonment Board has approved the draft Shillong Cantonment Building Bye-Laws 2025—the first in over five decades—marking a crucial step toward regulated and sustainable development within the military-administered area of the city. The draft was approved during a board meeting held on July 1, 2025, and is now awaiting clearance from the Ministry of Defence.
South Shillong MLA and BJP leader Sanbor Shullai, who is also an invitee member of the Shillong Cantonment Board, said, this draft has been carefully vetted by the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA), keeping in mind the pressing need for building norms in the cantonment areas.
The board meeting was attended by Brigadier Rajesh Verma, President of the Shillong Cantonment Board; Ayush Maurya, CEO of the Board; nominated member Bipen Pradhan; and members of the technical team including Senior Engineer Sujit Karv and MUDA’s Senior Architect L. Rymbui, who is also the former Town Planning Officer.
As per the approved provisions, the draft permits construction up to G+3 floors for residential buildings along motorable roads and G+2 floors for non-motorable areas. For plots up to 1000 sq ft, the limit is capped at G+2 floors.
The legislator said the draft has now been forwarded to the Directorate General of Defence Estates (DGDE) and will be recommended by the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Eastern Command, before receiving final approval from the Ministry of Defence.
