By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: A new high-powered committee (HPC) to oversee the location and construction of the State Assembly building has been formed recently with Speaker AT Mondal as its Chairman.
The HPC is expected to meet soon to take a final call on the location for the Meghalaya Assembly building.
The earlier location, Tara Ghar, has run into rough weather after several NGOs stood up to protest the construction of the Assembly at a place where the ‘heritage building, Tara Ghar’ is located.
Earlier, in 2010, the then Union Minister for Environment and Forests (MoEF) Jairam Ramesh, had during his tenure written a personal letter to the Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma to abandon Tara Ghar and shift the venue for the construction of the Assembly elsewhere.
A member of the new HPC said that this time the decision would be taken quickly and the construction of the new House will be completed in record time.
Other members of the HPC include Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma, former Chief Minister Dr Donkupar Roy, GAD Minister, HDR Lyngdoh, Urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prestone Tynsong, Government Chief Whip RV Lyngdoh, senior State Government and Assembly Secretariat officials among others.
The Meghalaya Assembly has been functioning from the temporary building site at Rilbong after the heritage building at Khyndailad (Police Bazar) was gutted on January 9, 2001.