SHILLONG:
State Public Works Department (PWD-Building) Minister, Dasakhiat Lamare has reiterated that a team of IIT Guwahati will be doing the third party audit of the under-construction assembly building with particular reference to the collapse of the dome on May 21.
“Because of many feasibility reasons we have empanelled IIT Guwahati to do the audit. The day after deciding to go with IIT Guwahati, a team from there arrived,” Lamare said.
He said that Prof Anjan Dutta was in the city a few days after the empanelment and went to the site with officials of the PWD (Building) for an inspection.
“They needed a few more professionals to start (the audit),” Lamare said.
According to him, IIT Guwahati is preparing a team of 15-18 experts to start the audit.
“The only focus I have on this is to ascertain the most genuine reason as to why why the dome fell,” he said.
According to the minister, it won’t be correct for either him or anybody to pressure IIT Guwahati to speed up the probe.
He said that reasonable time should be given to them to prepare their team and to bring the equipment needed to proceed with the audit so that the most accurate reason is found.
Lamare said that the government had asked other institutions like IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur to send their terms of references in regard with the third party audit, but those were very lengthy.
After the collapse of the dome and the halt in construction, there are fears that the project may be delayed.
Lamare, however, said it cannot be guaranteed that the present government will complete the assembly construction.
“Who knows we might come again after 2023 and we will be able to complete it,” Lamare said.
The minister was, however, optimistic that the assembly building would be completed before the 2023 assembly elections.
“It all depends on the new procedures that we need to take now since the incident happened,” he added.
On reports that the Meghalaya Urban Development Agency (MUDA) had objected to the dome, Lamare said it was a suggestion made a few days after it collapsed.
He said that personally just because the dome fell, it does not mean that the design or the structure of the assembly building will be changed.
“That building is the pride of Meghalaya. It is going to be the first building with that type of structure in the North East. Personally I will reject all suggestions to eliminate that dome,” the minister said.
He said that this structure will be put up again with better alignment and good support but the dome needs to be there.
Lamare said that he admired the dome before it fell because it is a landmark not only in Shillong but the whole state even as he added that there will be a collective resolution on it.