Shillong, Jan 31: Meghalaya Assembly Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh on Monday informed that the construction of the new Assembly building will be completed by the end of June.

Lyngdoh told reporters that he had a detailed review on the construction of new Assembly building, last week.

“I would like to inform you that by the end of June, everything will be completed,” he said.

“Testing and commissioning will be one month time say the entire month of July or by the end of July we can start (functioning from there),” he further added.

The Speaker however expressed hope that the ongoing Covid pandemic will not hamper the progress of work for completing the new building.

He recalled that due to the Covid situation in the last two years, the work has been delayed adding “We have to review  and refix the date of completion of different items of works in the new Assembly building.”

“But I hope and pray that Covid should not again hamper the ongoing construction of the new building,” he said.

Earlier, the Speaker had informed that the first phase of the project include the main hall, rooms of the Speaker, Chief Minister, Ministers, canteen, offices of the Assembly Secretariat etc.

The second phase of the project will follow which will include quarters for the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, MLAs etc.

The new Assembly building is being constructed on 80 acres of land at Mawdiangdiang in the New Shillong Township. The project amounting to Rs 127 crore has been allotted to Uttar Pradesh Rajkiya Nirman Nigam Ltd which is PSU of the Uttar Pradesh government.

It may be mentioned here that the State Legislative Assembly for the past many years has not had a permanent building ever since the fire incident that destroyed the old Assembly Building at Khyndailad way back in 2001.

The incident had made Meghalaya to become the only state without an Assembly building.

The delay in the construction of the new building was also due to problems in finalization of the land.