Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, October 18 2010:
Chief Minister O Ibobi today laid the foundation stone of a civil secretariat complex at Mantripukhri, The construction is estimated to cost Rs 282.60 crore.
The civil secretariat complex, a component of the Imphal Capitol Project, is targeted to be completed within three years however Chief Minister, in his speech, expressed hope that it will be completed before the targeted period.
The complex is to be constructed by Kolkata based farm, Simplex Project Limited.
It will have a north and a south block and a ministers' block.
The ministers' block will have 29 ministerial rooms including a chamber of the Chief Minister.
A chamber of the advocate general, committee rooms, conference rooms, banquet hall, mini power house, godown, canteen, drivers' room, chowkidars' quarters, garages, common toilets, security towers, security barracks, underground and overground water reservoirs, landscaped gardens, horticulture works, networking, CCTV, ATP, lifts, water recycle plants, a green house, children's play rooms etc.
are other components of the complex.
The civil secretariat will cover 30.63 acres of land.
Out of this total demarcated land 56,213 square meters will be occupied by buildings and the rest will be for developing infrastructures to attract sight-seers infrastructures.
It is targeted to be completed by October 2013, officials said.
The civil secretariat is a part of the Imphal Capitol Project taken up under the Prime Minister's Package.
Interestingly, even though it is targeted to completed within three years, two components of the project, Assembly Secretariat and High Court complex, construction works of which were started five years back are yet to be completed, as principal secretary (works) R Muivah conceded.
Speaking as chief guest of the function, Chief Minister, O Ibobi Singh said that the construction of a new civil secretariat complex has been taken up as the present civil secretariats at Bapupara are congested and it has no room for expansion.
Apart from not being suited to the times, officials in the two secretariats face problems in file processing and in daily functioning as their offices are located at different sites.
If offices of principal secretaries, secretaries and commissioners are located together, these problems would sharply decline, he added.
He further said that after shifting the secretariat offices to the new complex, small government offices located in Lamphelpat in Imphal east will be accommodated at the two secretariats now in use.
Government is planning to develop Lamphelpat as an ecological park by restoring its natural character of being a lake.
For making free Imphal city from pollution, trees will be planted in and around Lamphelpat.
Government will leave no stone unturned in taking up the construction work of the secretariat All required construction materials will be procured during the dry season so that the work could be continued in the rainy season too without interruption.
Speaking as president of the function, Work minister K Ranjit said that mini secretariat offices at each district headquarters taken by the PWD are all near completion.
The mini secretariat buildings in Ukhrul, Tamenglong and ADC building at Kangpokpi will be completed soon and there are plans to inaugurate them by March next year.
Power minister, Phungzathang Tonsing who attended as guest of honour said that the project for construction of the new secretariat complex taken up by the government with Central funds was a great achievement of the SPF government.
Another great achievement will be the completion of the Khuga Muli-purpose project, said Phungzathang announcing that the project will be inaugurated next month.
Health and Family Welfare minister Ph Parijat, Power minister Phungzathang Tonsing, Tourism minister, TN Haokip, Education minister L Jayentakumar, Sports minister N Biren, Agriculture minister N Loken, Tribal Development minister DD Thaisii and MLAs of ruling SPF government attended the foundation stone bying ceremony.