Parts of the permanent capital complex to be inaugurated next month. Picture by Biju Boro

May 3: After much delay and controversy, the first phase of the permanent capital complex in Dispur is set to be inaugurated next month.

PWD minister Sarat Borkotoky said the construction of the Assam secretariat building, which was taken up as the first phase of permanent capital complex project, is nearing completion and the A, F and C blocks will be inaugurated in June.

The minister said the entire project of permanent capital construction, which also includes construction of the Janata Bhawan, staff residential complex and other infrastructure like roads, drainage system, water supply plant, sewage treatment plant and the power network, will be completed by next year.

The new secretariat will have seven major blocks and four ancillary blocks.

Secretary of secretariat administration D.N. Saikia said, “Planning and development, personnel, sachivalaya administration, general administration, power and law departments will be transferred to the new building as soon as the A, C and F blocks are ready.”

He said the secretariat, the chief secretary’s office, among others, will be shifted later.

Almost all the staff quarters have been vacated and will be demolished in a phase-wise manner for construction of the second phase of the permanent capital complex.

The Rs 73-crore project is being implemented by a Mumbai-based firm, Unity Infra Limited. In 1997, the 10th finance commission had sanctioned Rs 60 crore for construction of a new secretariat building complex adjacent to present one.

The state government had initially awarded the contract to to a public sector undertaking for Rs 69.57 crore in January 1999. However, following a directive of the Gauhati High Court the contract was awarded to the Delhi-based Ansal group in July 2000.

Although work on few blocks had been taken up by the Delhi-based firm in 2000, the construction could not be completed in the stipulated period of three years and the progress made was only 17.62 per cent.

It prompted the high-powered committee on capital construction, set up by the government to monitor the progress, to scrap the contract and award it to the present Mumbai-based firm.

The Delhi-based firm alleged that delay on the part of government agencies to clear the site and hand it over to them for construction had led to its slow progress.

The work is progressing well now. Barkotoky is hopeful that the project will be completed within the stipulated time of 18 months. The Mumbai-based firm has been awarded the contract for Rs 73.86 crore. This means the project cost has escalated by more than Rs 20 crore.

The Opposition AGP had demanded a CBI probe into the alleged escalation of project cost. The demand was turned down by the state government.