SHILLONG, July 14: In a dramatic outburst that has cast a fresh shadow over the long-delayed Meghalaya Legislative Assembly project, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Tuesday stormed out of a review meeting at the under-construction Meghalaya Legislative Assembly complex in Mawkasiang, New Shillong Township, after expressing strong dissatisfaction over the slow progress of the interior work on the main hall, reprimanding a contractor and warning that the work could be cancelled if deficiencies continued.
The meeting lasted less than 10 minutes. Outside the venue, a visibly furious Sangma was heard telling the person associated with the project: “You are playing with my reputation. That is what you are doing…. I will not let you go. I will cancel the work.”
Sources said the interior contract for the main hall had been allotted to local contractor Kitbok Warbah, who reportedly sub-contracted the job to a New Delhi-based firm — a layer of sub-contracting that appears to have further delayed execution and drawn the Chief Minister’s ire.
Sangma had inspected the site before the brief review meeting.
While no official reason was immediately given for the walkout, his sharp remarks left little doubt about his deep dissatisfaction with the quality and pace of the project.
The controversy has reopened old wounds. In May 2022 the iconic dome of the same under-construction Assembly building had collapsed, triggering widespread criticism over construction quality, embarrassing the government and leading to an inquiry. No one was injured, but the incident still haunts the project.
The new Assembly complex, designed by Design and Associates, New Delhi, is being executed by Uttar Pradesh Rajkiya Nirman Nigam Ltd through a sub-contract. It is meant to replace the original Meghalaya Legislative Assembly building that was gutted by fire more than two decades ago.
No official statement has been issued by the Chief Minister’s Office so far, leaving everyone to speculate whether the threat of cancellation will actually materialise or whether the latest explosion is yet another chapter in the troubled history of the prestige project.
