Shillong, April 23: The base of a structure that could be on a par with international theatres like the Sydney Opera House was laid today.

Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma laid the foundation for the Shillong International Centre for Performing Arts and Culture (SICPAC) at Mawkasiang in East Khasi Hills.

The project, with an estimated cost of Rs 151 crore, has been sanctioned by the Union DoNER ministry on a 90:10 sharing basis between the Centre and the state. The centre is expected to be completed by 2017.

Once completed, the hub would host mega events of music, dance, films and theatre particularly for showcasing Northeast culture, arts and craft.

The centre will also serve as a venue for exchanging cross culture with other states and countries with an open-air amphitheatre, performance space, banquet halls, international guesthouses and international convention centre with state-of-the-art facilities.

Further, the centre will house a training centre offering skill development courses in music, art, films, television and multimedia for youth of Meghalaya and other states of the Northeast and a museum showcasing arts and crafts of the region.

Chief architect of the project, Gudjon Bjarnason of Iceland, said nature was a driving force in conceptualisation of the building. He said the hub would be on a par with international theatres like the Sydney Opera and others.

In his address, Sangma said the "massive infrastructure", once completed, would be a game changer and would open up opportunities for children with innumerable talents. He was hopeful that the government would be able to complete and dedicate the centre to the people of the state by 2017.

"It was a bold decision on the part of the government to invest a huge amount of money on this mammoth infrastructure, and because of this, many good things are going to happen and Shillong is going to be talked about as a destination," Sangma said.

Arts and culture minister Clement Marak said a new chapter is being created in the history of Meghalaya with the setting up of the culture hub.

"The centre, which would be one of a kind project, would fulfil the art and cultural needs of the region. The timely sanction of funds for the project would ensure it to be one of the best cultural centres in Asia," Marak said.