Assembly jinx continues as panel scraps tender

SHILLONG: The High Powered Committee on the new Assembly building failed to end the 16-year-old jinx as it cancelled the tender for construction on Thursday.
Addressing media persons after the meeting of the panel here, Speaker AT Mondal said PWD recently opened the price bid after three firms qualified in the technical bidding.
The three shortlisted firms are Simplex Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, Gautam Construction Pvt Ltd and Shapoorji Pallonji Co. & Ltd.
“The bid value was Rs 105 crore and Shapoorji Pallonji quoted a price 29.92 per cent more than bid value. Even Simplex Infrastructure quoted 21.90 per cent more,” Mondal said.
Gautam Construction, on the other hand, quoted 15.01 per cent less than the bid value which comes to around Rs 15 crore.
PWD later asked Gautam Construction to justify if the firm can complete the work within the quoted bid value and after analysing, PWD suggested that the quoted price was not feasible considering the rising market value and impact of new taxes.
“The Committee today felt that the rate of Gautam Construction is too low and it will not be possible for the firm to do justice with the project keeping in view quality control and other related issues,” the speaker said.
The committee has asked PWD to issue tenders afresh and at the earliest.
The proposed location for the new Assembly building was changed to multiple locations. The new location is in Mawdiangdiang.
The 125-year-old Meghalaya Legislative Assembly building made of Burmese teak at Khyndailad was reduced to ashes in 2001.
In absence of a permanent Assembly complex all these years, business is currently executed from the arts and culture auditorium within the premises of Brookside in Rilbong.