Shillong, Jul 31: Meghalaya Assembly Speaker Thomas A Sangma today said that it was “better late than never” over the delay to hold sessions in the new Assembly building in Mawdiangdiang, which is still under construction after several delays.
The Speaker recalled the incident in May 2022 when the dome of the under-construction building collapsed. The roof was subsequently redesigned to make it safer.
“Once bitten twice shy. Yes we are keen to move to the new Assembly premises. We were all very upset that the timeline is not being followed,” Sangma said.
He pointed out some technical issues that have delayed completion.
He informed that many of the materials in the new Assembly building are imported and, due to the war on Iran, supplies have been delayed. Sangma said that cabling for the state-of-the-art audio/visual system has faced such a delay.
“Those high-quality materials have to be imported from the USA,” the Speaker stated, adding that the vendors cannot be blamed for the delay since it is not their fault.
He however informed that now 90 per cent of the materials have arrived and he expects the installation part will start. Even when complete, the building will have to go through a safety audit, but he expects that this can take place side by side with the finishing touches on the building.
