Shillong, Aug 11: Cabinet minister Sanbor Shullai has urged Governor Satya Pal Malik to address the problems being faced by lease holders of Shillong Cantonment.
Sanbor led a delegation comprising members of Shillong Cantonment Lease Holders Association and Headman of Jhalupara Village Council to meet the governor and to submit a memorandum in this regard.
Shullai apprised the governor of the rise in tax due to implementation of Standard Table of Rents (STR) at the rate of 2.5% of the land value.
He urged the governor to take up the matter with the union defence ministry as the implementation of STR should be 0.25 of the land value which is acceptable and payable by the lessees.
Shullai also highlighted other grievances faced by the residents of Shillong cantonment area due to the implementation of new draft cantonment land administration rule 2021.
“For all subsisting leases governed by Rule 16 and 17, the Annual Rent (ARV) has been fixed at 2.5% of the market value of the land. The calculated annual rent @2.5% of the market value of the land will be very high and not at all feasible for the subsisting leases to pay the calculated amount,” he said in the letter.
“Therefore, it is suggested that the annual rent calculated should be 0.25% of the land value. Even after the annual rent is calculated @ 0.25% of the land value the annual rent will still be 100 times the present amount paid by the subsisting leases,” he added.
The minister said that while calculating the annual rent @ 0.25% of the land value for renewal of lease deed which shall be executed in schedule IV, the word ‘market value of land’ should not be applicable.
He said the sudden increase in rate due to the application of market value of land while calculating the STR may severely affect the economically weaker section of the residents in Shillong Cantonment area and will only promote inflation.
According to him, the calculated STR should be considered only by taking into consideration the government valuation of land prevalent in the municipal area assessed by the competent revenue authority of Meghalaya.
He also suggested that the lease should be renewed for a minimum period of ninety years, of which the initial period will be of thirty years.
