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NONGPOH, June 13: Shoddy construction work and inferior quality of workmanship displayed by contractors are synonymous with most government-sanction projects in Meghalaya. The newest entrant in the list of questionable projects like the Assembly building at New Shillong Township, the inter-state bus terminus (ISBT) at Mawiong and the Mawlai Bypass, is the yet-to-be-inaugurated Patharkhmah Model Degree College which has been built at a cost of Rs 11.01 crore.
The building, which was completed over a year ago, has begun to show signs of cracks and wear and tear, raising two important queries – the safety lapses and the poor quality of work.
wThe matter came to light when The Shillong Times paid a visit to the building on Sunday.
The road condition leading to the college and the hostel are in pathetic state and inaccessible by car. One has to trek for more than twenty minutes to reach the building from the main Patharkhmah road.
Though internal electrical connection has been completed, there is no sign of electric posts or wires anywhere near the building. There is no water connection in college or the hostel.
As per the tender document available on the website of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan Meghalaya (rusameghalaya.nic.in), a lift has to be installed in the building. Neither the lift was installed nor was there any sign of the equipment anywhere near the building. The portion of the building where the lift was supposed to be installed has been fenced using bamboo.
It may be mentioned that the foundation stone of the Patharkhmah Model Degree College was virtually laid by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on February 3, 2019 via video conferencing from the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre, Srinagar.
Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui The inaccessible road leading to the building.had, on 30 August 2020, posted on his twitter account that the college will “start functioning by 2022 as a celebration of the 50 years of statehood”. The cracked walls and pillars, the uninstalled lift and the missing water & electricity connection is proof enough that the said promise is unlikely to be fulfilled anytime soon.