Meghalaya Assembly dome collapsed due to lack of coordination  between stakeholders: Conrad Sangma

The report on the Dome of the newly constructed Meghalaya Assembly Building has been tabled in the High Powered Committee (HPC) and has stated that the overall weight of the dome was too heavy and that there was total lack of coordination between different stakeholders has led to the collapse of the dome structure. 

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma informed that the Indian Institute of Technology - Guwahati (IIT-G) has tabled the report before the HPC meeting chaired by Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh. 

CM Sangma said that the Government will seek an explanation from all concerned stakeholders following the report submitted by the IIT-G. 

The IIT-G in its findings indicated that the reasons that led to the incident were because the overall weight of the dome was too heavy and that there was a total lack of coordination between the different agencies that include the designers, contractors, and project management consultant (PMC) because had it been done properly the entire situation could have been avoided, Sangma added. 

Sangma also announced that the rest of the new Assembly building was found to be safe and all foundation and structural strengths were as per standards according to the final findings of the IIT-G report.

The chief minister further informed that the HPC has instructed the state government to immediately call all the different stakeholders which are designers, contractors, and the PMC for an explanation based on the report.

“So the government will be calling all the stakeholders for an explanation based on the report. The government will come up with suggestions on what further process should follow and will place the same before the HPC which will again sit within the next one week or ten days’ time,” he said.

When asked if the HPC will still go ahead with the idea of a dome structure, Sangma said that the report had specifically mentioned that if the HPC decides to go ahead with the dome structure, then it should be a lighter-weight structure.

“The report says it should replace the dome structure with a light steel tubular truss structure covered with CGI sheet. They have suggested that which basically means that the structure can still be a dome but it should be much lighter as compared to the 4.50 lakh kgs of dome that was there in the initial structure which was concrete and steel and other structures that were there,” he said adding that the decision on the matter will be taken by the HPC.

Whether responsibility will be fixed on the different agencies, the chief minister said the government will first seek an explanation from them before deciding on a future course of action.

“We have to seek their explanation why this has happened and we will hear their side of the story and once we hear all of that then will take a decision on all those aspects (including the cost of damage),” he added.