Shillong, Nov 5: “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” So said Douglas Adams, the creator of the world-famous Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
The Meghalaya Assembly authorities and their contractors seem to be taking the same approach with the new Assembly building in Mawdiangdiang, with the completion date being pushed back once again, this time to June 2026.
Every so often Assembly Speaker Thomas A Sangma holds a review meeting or inspection of the site and, almost invariably, a new completion date is announced for one of several reasons.
Sangma chaired a review meeting today to assess the progress of the ongoing construction.
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. Luckily, there was no loss of life in the incident, only loss of face for the government. Then in May 2024, a retaining wall on the edge of the property collapsed.
This time Sangma said that vendors contracted for the interior work have sought an extension of approximately six months to complete the interiors, which includes the main hall, reception area and lobby.
Monthly review meetings will now be held to keep things on track, with the next review on December 8.
The Speaker assured that the delay in completion will not result in any financial implications.
Expressing satisfaction with the redesigned dome, he informed that the new design has been engineered to evenly distribute the roof’s weight and has been vetted by IIT Guwahati and IIT Roorkee.
He further added that detailed project reports (DPRs) are being prepared for the second phase of the project, which will include staff quarters and other essential facilities and that the concerned central ministries have been approached for necessary approvals.
The review meeting was also attended by Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, Commissioner and Secretary Cyril VD Diengdoh and Commissioner and Secretary Andrew Simons.
