Speaker of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, Thomas A. Sangma announced that the completion date for the new Assembly building has been pushed back to next year.
A high-powered inspection team comprising the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Meghalaya Assembly, Chief Minister and Deputy CMs and others visited the construction site of the new Assembly building in Mawdiangdiang today.
Sangma informed that the target for completion of the new Assembly building has been extended, with the aim of inaugurating it before the Autumn Session of 2025.
“The progress so far is satisfactory, but we are proceeding very slowly and carefully because of the unique structural design of the main hall dome. There is no similar design in this part of the country. We cannot afford to rush and risk another mishap,” the Speaker said.
He said a structural engineer has already been posted at the site to ensure quality control. “The majority of the pending work involves the dome. It includes extensive steel structures being welded and fixed, which takes time and precision,” he added.
It may be mentioned that the new building has been beset by construction problems. The biggest of these was the dramatic collapse of the under-construction dome in May 2022. Fortunately, there was no loss of life in the incident, only loss of face for the government.
“The engineers of the PWD department, contractors have met on multiple occasions to ensure that every minute detail is looked into. They have requested for an additional time as they don’t want to rush to complete the project,” Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said.
He said there are changes to the dome’s design and materials. “With careful planning and design modifications, the dome’s weight has been reduced from 3,000 to 85 metric tons to enhance stability,” he added.
