Shillong, March 4: The D.D. Lapang-led government breathed a sigh of relief following the decision by the Calcutta Municipal Corporation to lift the heritage tag from the old Meghalaya house building at 9&10 Russell Street. The corporation?s decision has paved the way for the Lapang government to dismantle the building and construct a multiplex.

General administrative department minister H.D.R. Lyngdoh said today that demolition of the old structure started yesterday.

?The permission to go ahead with demolition and construction of new structure was given last month,? Lyngdoh revealed.

Following protests by Khasi Students? Union and other NGOs, the Lapang government scrapped a deal with the Asian Housing Construction Limited, after which the AHCL moved court. The Lapang government then opted for an out-of-court settlement with the firm, in which the state government signed a fresh deal worth Rs 22.12 crore in April 2005 with the firm for constructing a multiplex on turnkey basis.

However, the Lapang government then came under attack for making ?unexplained advance payments? to the firm. The general administrative department is said to have handed over Rs 4.42 crore for initiating the construction work. This has irked many within the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government too as they feel that it would amount to ?another sellout?.

Lapang managed to convince the West Bengal government to remove the heritage tag and allow the Meghalaya government to build a new structure.

Grenade explosion

One person was killed and three others injured when a hand grenade exploded at a scrap depot in Shillong on Saturday, reports PTI.

Police said the grenade was dumped in a depot in the Mawiong area on the outskirts of Shillong.

Police suspect the grenade may have been brought by rag-pickers while selling scrap to the depot.