SHILLONG: The Church of God that was gutted in a devastating fire on November 17 will be rebuilt at a cost of Rs 10 crore.
A building committee has been constituted for the purpose and construction work will begin once necessary permission is obtained from the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Pastor AC Moore said, “The estimated budget to rebuild the new church is Rs 10 crore. The site will be the same but we will look for MUDA’s direction. Qualified architects will be consulted while re-structuring the new church”.
Stating that the old church building was a priceless heritage site, he said, “We have to know the reason behind the fire but the police are still conducting investigation”.
Monetary contributions have been pouring in for the church, including a donation of Rs 50,000 from the Dorbar Shnong of Qualapatty.
The headman of Qualapatty, Martamlin Pyrbot, recalled that the church had brought recognition to the locality of Qualapatty when India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had stayed with JJM Nichols Roy. Incidentally, the two-storeyed Assam-type house where Nehru had stayed was untouched by the fire that gutted the church.
The Pastor also thanked all donators, including some non-Christians, for their financial help in rebuilding the church.
