SHILLONG: Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker, Timothy D Shira is optimistic that the long pending dream to have a new Assembly building here will be fulfilled within the MDA government’s term.
Speaking to media persons here on Thursday, Shira informed that the high powered committee (HPC) in its last meeting had decided to ask the public works department to examine the possibilities of floating fresh tender for the construction of the Assembly building at Mawdiangdiang.
He said the PWD would place the matter before the committee after the entire tendering process is completed.
“After examining the tendering process, the HPC will award the contract to construct the building to the firm which quotes the lowest rate,” the deputy speaker said.
Stating that that a sum of Rs 140 crore was at its disposal for initiating the project, he asserted that the incumbent present HPC has decided to endorse the site for the new building at Mawdiangdiang as decided by the previous Speaker.
Shira however put the blame for the delay in completing the project on ‘politics’ as various sites were selected by various Speakers for the construction of the building but the plans never materialised, leading to the delay by several years.
He recalled that when he was elected in 2003, the construction of the new Assembly building was supposed to take place on the old Assembly building premises in Khyndai Lad.
“But some MLAs had expressed reservations against the construction of the Assembly building on the old Assembly premises. Since then so many sites have been selected. But a full-fledged Assembly building is yet to come up in the state,” the deputy speaker said.
Earlier, the high powered committee was in the final stages of allotting the project to the bidder but the rate quoted by various firms to the last tender was not acceptable. The rate quoted by one of the firm was very high while the one quoted by another was very low.
