SHILLONG, May 22: There seems to be no end to the litany of unwanted woes for the ruling dispensation over substandard execution of infrastructure funded by the government.
After the leaking ISBT building and collapse of bridges, on Sunday came another embarrassing news: the collapse of the dome of the much vaunted new Assembly building at Mawdiangdiang in New Shillong Township. The dome was a highlight of what was to be an iconic structure of Shillong and the state.
The setback with the Assembly building was perhaps the last thing the Conrad Sangma-led coalition wanted. After the inordinate delay in having a new building in replacement of the iconic Assembly building which got gutted over two decades ago, the last thing the government wanted was this scandalous saga of slipshod construction of government funded projects.
There was no loss of life.
The Assembly project has been designed by the Design and Associate, Delhi and is being implemented by the Uttar Pradesh Rajkiya Nirman Nigam Ltd.
Within hours of the incident, Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh called an emergency meeting with the representatives of the two firms at the Assembly Secretariat on Monday.
The initial estimated loss to the structure is around Rs 5 crore, official sources revealed. They added that the actual figure will be available only after the assessment of the damage. Following the incident, the completion of the project will now get delayed.
PWD (Buildings) Executive Engineer, Ransom Sutnga, who is overseeing the Assembly project, told reporters at the site the dome collapsed due to faulty design.
Sutnga said the structure’s design could not withstand the 70-tonne dome. The dome’s actual height is about 65 metres while the minar’s height is 13 metres, he said.
He also said that the debris will be cleared within two weeks. He disclosed that a new design will be prepared within eight to nine months with a light structure for the dome.
Stating that there are three sections – left wing, central wing and right wing, the senior official said the only damage was where the dome was installed.
He added financial losses due to damage or any other problem in construction can be realised from the contractor’s bill. The building is being constructed on a plot measuring 80 acres.
Initially, the state government had prepared a budget estimate of Rs 145 crore for the project but the firm, which got the contract, quoted an amount of Rs 127 crore – Rs 18 crore less than the government estimates.
