The Meghalaya cabinet has decided to regularise the lands owned by the government that has been encroached by public in Williamnagar in East Garo Hills of the state.

This was informed by state Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Monday. Around 1,200 households in two localities, namely Balsrigittim and Warimagre in Williamnagar will be regularised and the government will sign a long-term lease with each of the occupants where the ownership of the land will remain with the government.

According to the chief minister, a limit of 10,000 sq ft for each family has been set and the rates for the settlement will be based on the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) classification where for Warinagre, which is a first-class land, the rate has been fixed at Rs 2.55 lakh per bigha and for Balsrigittim, which is a second-class land, the rate has been fixed at Rs 1.87 lakh per bigha.

A fixed amount will also be taken from the families on a monthly basis. Similarly, steps will also be taken for areas under Tura town.

Meanwhile, the cabinet has approved the amendment to the Meghalaya Police Service Rules 1996 pertaining to Schedule 1 of the rules by increasing the number of senior and junior duty posts from 21 to 24 and from 75 to 102 respectively.

Conrad Sangma said that this will do away with the fixing of the number of posts in the selection grade and the junior administrative grade and will enable the officers to have served the minimum qualifying years in the senior scale of eight years and junior scale of seven years to be promoted to the next higher grade.

The cabinet also decided to amend the Meghalaya Minor Mineral Concession Rules 2016 and the Meghalaya Protection of Interest of Depositors (in Financial Establishments) Rules, 2022 to ensure implementation of the Meghalaya Protection of Interest of Depositors Act 2018.