SHILLONG, May 27: The new Assembly building coming up in New Shillong Township is unlikely to host next year’s Budget session as planned due to the logistical challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
An official of the PWD involved in the construction of the building said the new building may be completed only during the autumn session of the House next year.
The Meghalaya government was aiming to host the 2022 Budget session in the new building.
The official said that more than 100 labourers were working by following all the protocols of masks, physical distancing and washing of hands at least three times a day before the construction work was halted due to the second COVID-19 wave.
The department is also facing problems in the transportation of granite from Bengaluru, air conditioners, firefighting equipment and dome from Kolkata.
“Everything related to the dome has been done in Kolkata but we are stuck due to the COVID situation and lockdown,” the official said, adding that the upcoming structure will be an iconic building and the building would be visible from far away as the height of the building including the dome will be 65 metres.
The official said the Assembly building work is one of the main projects in the state and the department is trying its best to expedite it. The progress has been “very impressive”, he said.
The new Assembly building is expected to be as much of a landmark as the 125-year-old iconic structure that housed the Assembly of undivided Assam until it was gutted in a devastating fire in 2001. The old Assembly building was built with pine wood in 1874.
Meghalaya has been without a permanent Assembly building for over two decades. After fire ate up the British-era building, the Assembly functioned from the State Central Library auditorium before being shifted to a cultural complex in Rilbong.
The tender value of the project is Rs 127 crore and the project is being implemented by Rajkiya Nirman Nigam Ltd, a UP-based PSU.
