Shillong, May 8: Meghalaya’s new Assembly building at Mawdiangdiang had more construction-related notoriety today after a video emerged on social media showing a section of roofing sheets in disarray.
Accusations were quickly made that this was more evidence of substandard materials being used but a project management consultant said that this was not true, instead blaming the trouble on improper cleaning of the tin sheets. The contractor has been directed to replace the section of roofing.
A source added that the video was recorded while labourers were cleaning the roof tin and the footage was misinterpreted as a structural collapse. However, in at least one of the video clips that have been shared no workers can be see anywhere near the roof.
This is the latest in the series of problems faced by the Assembly project. The most notorious was that on May 22, 2022 – almost exactly four years ago – when the 70 tonne steel dome atop the central hall came crashing down. No one was injured as the incident took place after midnight.
Officials had then claimed that the collapse was due to faulty design, as the structure could not withstand the dome’s weight. There was a lack of coordination between designers and contractors, according to a probe.
Following the incident, the dome was redesigned using lighter materials.
Then, in May 2024, a retaining wall on the edge of the property collapsed.
The building is years behind scheduled but is expected to host the Autumn Session of the Assembly in the new structure.
