Shillong, Sept 10: The new Assembly building at Mawdiangdiang on the outskirts of the city is expected to be ready for inauguration by mid-November, Assembly Speaker Thomas A Sangma said after a visit to the site on Thursday.
However, he made it clear that the visit – ahead of his 10-day Commonwealth Parliamentary tour – was personal and there was no official review of the progress of construction.
“I went for a personal visit to get first-hand knowledge of the progress since I will be away for over 10 days. I am quite satisfied, things are moving forward,” he said.
The official deadline for completion of the Assembly building is October 31.
“We hope it will be ready by mid-November for inauguration,” he said.
On funding for the second phase which includes infrastructure, ICT and security components, the Speaker said the Ministry of DoNER has changed its funding guidelines.
“The DoNER Minister could not sanction the second phase due to change in format and guidelines. They suggested we route the proposal through the Lok Sabha Speaker’s office for guidance on the appropriate department,” he said.
He admitted there has been cost escalation due to addition of IT, communication and security systems not included in the earlier detailed project report (DPR).
Asked if this was the final deadline, Sangma said, “Yes, this is the last deadline we are giving them. We are trying our best to finish within this calendar year.”
He added that efforts are on to hold the next Budget session in the new building.
