Lockdown hampers Assembly building construction

SHILLONG: The Rs 127-crore Meghalaya Assembly building under construction at Mawdiangdiang will be delayed slightly due to the lockdown.
Informing this, PWD (Buildings) Minister Comingone Ymbon on Thursday, however, said that they expect the project to be completed in 2022.
The original deadline was January 2022.
The construction of the project started last year and the work was progressing well until problems cropped up in between due to the demand for Inner Line Permit (ILP) and the COVID-19 situation in the state.
“Earlier labourers were sent back and the COVID situation too has also badly affected the project but work has resumed finally and 80-100 labourers are on the job right now,” the minister said.
Admitting that the project was running behind schedule, he, however, assured that there will be no issues of funding as it is a prestigious project of the state and the state government is trying to ensure that there is no delay in providing funds for the project.
It may be mentioned that the state government is currently functioning from a temporary Assembly building at Rilbong.
The need for a new Assembly building arose after the 125-year-old structure that housed the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly at Police Bazar was gutted in a devastating fire in 2001.
The project is being implemented by the Uttar Pradesh Government-based Public Sector Understanding, Rajkiya Nirman Nigam Ltd. The new Assembly building will comprise of the basement, ground floor, first floor and second floor and the total area of the basement is 11,000 square feet, while the total area of the other floors including the ground floor is 55,000 square feet.