Meghalaya Assembly building will come up in new Shillong: Abu Taher Mondal

SHILLONG: A new Meghalaya Assembly building will come up in New Shillong Township and 80 acres of land has been identified for the purpose, Speaker Abu Taher Mondal has said.

"We have finalised the land for the construction of the new Assembly building at the New Shillong Township at a meeting of a High Power Committee of the Meghalaya Assembly on Friday," Mondal said yesterday.

"Now, we'll start the process of its execution in different stages until the new Assembly building gets its desired shape within a specific time," he said.

Narrating how different proposals for a new building did not materialise since 2004, the Speaker said "this time we hope our decision will fructify since as this is a government land and all new institutional and organisational buildings are coming up in the area."

He said Chief Minister Mukul Sangma had agreed to arrange the fund required for the project.

According to the Speaker, the functioning of the Assembly is badly hit as the administrative headquarter in Police Bazaar area is not sufficient, while the chamber is at another location in Rilbong.

The old British era Assembly building in the capital was badly damaged in a fire in 2001 and parts of the remaining building houses only the Assembly secretariat. Other functions are held in different places.