Assembly Speaker Thomas A. Sangma on Monday said he has requested the Public Works Department (Building) expedite the approval of the new dome design of the new Assembly building at Mawdiangdiang.
Addressing media persons after conducting an inspection at the construction site, Sangma said without the approval of the new design, work cannot resume.
He said the progress of work is satisfactory, but the middle portion, which is the main chamber where the dome had collapsed, is still not started; otherwise, the left wing and the right wing (of the new Assembly building) are almost completed.
“Eighty percent of the work is already completed, but we can’t have an assembly without the main chamber. There is a new design of the dome that has to be vetted and approved by two Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), IIT Roorkee and IIT Guwahati. So we are waiting for their approval of the new design,” he said.
Sangma informed that he is also in the process of reconstituting the High Powered Committee (HPC).
The Speaker said the implementing agencies have also been asked to remove debris by April 15.
“That was the only deadline we have set today because without which the work cannot start and without the approval of the new design work cannot start. Only when the work starts then we can set a timeline (for completion of the new Assembly building),” he added.
On the allegations of corruption in the construction of the new Assembly, the Speaker said, “Such allegations of corruption have not come to his notice. If there is any I can assure you that my office will be very transparent in this regard and we will try our best not to have any kind of allegation…we will try to be transparent as much as possible.”