Assembly building funds
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Feb 15: Meghalaya Assembly Speaker, Metbah Lyngdoh on Monday stressed the need for the Union finance minister to consider the 15th Finance Commission’s recommendation of Rs 100 crore for completion of the Assembly building work at Mawdiangdiang.
“We got a chance to meet the Union finance minister and requested her to consider and approve the recommendation by the 15th Finance Commission,” Lyngdoh told reporters here.
The Assembly Speaker said that he had earlier requested Chief Minister Conrad Sangma to raise the issue with the Lok Sabha Speaker.
Admitting that Meghalaya is faced with financial constraints owing to the COVID-pandemic, he however informed that the Assembly building work has not been hampered.
Lyngdoh expressed hope that the building would be completed on time while informing that civil work was nearing completion.
Construction work of the Rs 127-crore project is being implemented by Uttar Pradesh-based public sector undertaking, Rajkiya Nirman Nigam Ltd.
Lyngdoh said he had also met Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, and sought financial assistance to complete construction of the Assembly building.
The Assembly Speaker also conveyed to Birla the intention of the Assembly Secretariat to hold the 2022 budget session in the new Assembly building to mark the 50th year of Meghalaya’s statehood.
“That would however depend on everything going according to plan, including availability of funds,” he said.
Lyngdoh had placed the request for funds while attending the Presiding Officers’ (Speakers’) conference in Kevadiya, Gujarat.
