Urban Affairs to wait for formation of new govt at Centre
SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Urban Affairs Department will have to wait for the formation of the new government at the Centre to take a call on the abandoned housing project at Nongmynsong.
After the Delhi-based company Hindustan Prefab Limited (HPL) backed out of the project, the State Government was in consultations with the Union Government over the fate of the project and Central Government had been updated about the pulling out of the company from the project, Urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said here on Friday. The project had been delayed by over 48 months which would result in a project cost overrun.
“The Government had asked the HPL to submit its inventory so that the Government can re-tender the project. But now we have to wait for the formation of the new Government at the Centre to take a final call on proceeding with the project,” the Urban Affairs Minister said.
While admitting that the housing scheme could not entertain any escalation, the minister said that there were two possibilities of completing the pending project. “The Centre might sanction additional funds from the Union Government. The second option is that the State Government might allocate funds on its own to complete the project,” she said.
The project was awarded to the company in 2008 to build over 600 low cost dwelling units for the urban poor under the Centrally-sponsored JNNURM.
