By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The State Government passed a resolution in the Assembly on Wednesday to empower the High Power Committee (HPC) to select a site and also decide on the construction of the new Assembly building.
Moving the resolution on the floor of the House, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prestone Tynsong said that the newly constituted High Power Committee which met on Tuesday proposed to recommend to the House to empower the committee to select the most suitable site and decide on the construction of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly building.
“Now, therefore, this House resolves on this day to agree to empower and delegate to the High Power Committee (HPC) to select the most suitable site and take all the necessary steps required for the expeditious construction of the Assembly building,” Tynsong said.
While referring to an earlier resolution adopted by the House on December 20, 2004, Tynsong said that the then Assembly had resolved not to shift the venue of the reconstruction of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly building to Mawdiangdiang, but to build it at the same site or any other suitable place within the vicinity of Shillong city.
Earlier, while participating in the discussion on the resolution, former Chief Minister Salseng C Marak said that he was in tears when the old Assembly building was gutted by fire way back in 2001.
“After nearly 12 years, it is really sad that the Assembly has not yet been able to select an appropriate site for the new Assembly complex,” Marak said.
The former Chief Minister informed that the Planning Commission had even agreed to release the fund for the new Assembly complex.
He said that the money which was sanctioned could not be utilized due to the inability of the House to select the new site.
“I would like the newly constituted HPC to start their job immediately to select the most suitable site for the new Assembly building,” Marak said.
The previous decision to construct the Assembly at Tara Ghar ran into rough weather when Informed Conscious and Responsible Existence (ICARE) opposed the move and demanded that Tara Ghar should be declared as a ‘heritage site’ in compliance with the Meghalaya Heritage Act, 2012.
