By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 11: The Assembly on Thursday witnessed a sharp attack from Leader of Opposition Dr Mukul Sangma, who called the seven-year delay in completing the Ampati Engineering College an embarrassment for Meghalaya. He warned that the state’s image suffered whenever leaders sought investments outside while being confronted with questions about how many engineering colleges it actually had.
Sangma stressed that at a time when Meghalaya’s youth were eager to pursue professional courses, the government’s inability to deliver key institutions was unacceptable. Citing Andhra Pradesh as an example of a state that had leveraged its human resources to produce engineers who now thrive globally—even in places like Boston—he urged the government to ensure that Ampati and Shillong engineering colleges, along with the proposed College of Architecture and Urban Planning, were completed on a war footing.
Responding in the Assembly, Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma admitted that the project had faced multiple setbacks. He reported that physical progress at Ampati stood at just 25%, with Rs 15 crore spent to date. He said repeated changes in location—three to four times—had caused delays, compounded by the contractor’s slow pace and temporary abandonment of the site. The contractor, he added, had committed in August to resume work and complete the project at the earliest.
On the same issue, Ampati MLA Miani D Shira pressed the minister on whether the cost estimates had been revised, highlighting that prolonged delays could escalate expenses. She also pointed out that the lack of an approach road to the site was a basic requirement that had yet to be addressed. The minister admitted the approach road was still pending and said revised estimates would be considered once construction resumed.
On the other hand, VPP MLA Brightstarwell Marbaniang inquired about faculty appointments for Shillong Engineering College and whether its building was being used by the state university.
The minister confirmed that only temporary staff had been appointed so far, with permanent recruitment still pending, and acknowledged that one floor of the college was being used by the State University as a temporary measure.