A showpiece with no utility
- Sangai Express Editorial :: January 08, 2014 -

City Convention Centre, as of now, is like a stillborn baby.

The structure that stands at Palace Compound with lush green lawn in front is imposing to any onlooker.

The structure, as far as one goes by its external architectural design, is impressive but the interior tells a very contrasting story as reported in this paper.

This does not mean there is any architectural flaw or its interior designing lacks elegance.

Frankly we have little architectural or (construction) engineering knowledge and we are not attempting to comment on that aspect.

But our question is, how can a single building, a grand one that too, gives two contrasting impressions.

Seen from a little distance away, the grand building, as it stands today, presents a fine picture of an engineering marvel but a closer look tells a story of sheer inefficiency, smugness and irresponsibility.

Still we are hopeful that the structure would indeed become an engineering marvel and a purposeful one once it is fully completed.

At the same time we cannot help questioning why it takes such a long period of time for Simplex Company Limited to finish and hand it over to the Government authority.

As stated by one of its officers, Simplex would not like to confine itself in any project, say City Convention Centre in this context, longer than the requisite period for earning maximum profit in the shortest possible time period is the maxim of all private enterprises/agencies.

Prolonged engagement of Simplex in City Convention Centre, much against their own working principle, means something is seriously wrong somewhere.

Does the State PWD or MAHUD Department have any answer or should the same question be addressed to higher authorities?

People would be certainly interested if they have any answer to this poser.

City Convention Centre, now lying as a useless white elephant, was inaugurated on December 3, 2011 together with Inter State Bus Terminus, MFDC’s auditorium, new Assembly complex and the High Court complex.

All these structures were not ready for inauguration by then but the ruling SPF Government led by Congress Government, somehow, coaxed the AICC high command and it was none other than Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and AICC Chairperson Sonia Gandhi who inaugurated these grand structures.

The compulsive nature of inaugurating these grand structures was understandable as the 10th Assembly Legislative election was round the corner but what followed after the inauguration is something unpalatable, to say the least.

Fund or its shortage can be no alibi in this context for the State Government shares only 10 per cent of the requisite amount while 90 per cent was funded by the Ministry of Urban Development.

The same political party which inaugurated the unready structures was re-elected and is ruling the State, this time all by themselves without any coalition partner.

We fear the way incomplete projects are left to rot by themselves is by any chance a manifestation of the Government taking the public for a ride.

Perhaps or not, hectic inauguration of the grand but unready projects had a hand in delivering absolute majority to Congress party in the last Assembly election.

If it was the case, the Government is playing a very dangerous and deceitful game with the people. Whichever party is at the helm of affairs, it may fool the people once, twice or thrice but it can never go on befooling the people for long.

Two years ago, just before the polls, newly constructed MFDC auditorium, High Court complex, New Assembly Complex, ISBT and City Convention Centre were presented as proud achievements of the Government and these achievements figured prominently in the election campaign but today two of them have turned to be big failures for ISBT too is in total disarray with no one to take care of it.

It would be a tragedy if incomplete but costly projects come to define the Government.

Do we need a reminder that City Convention Centre and for that matter ISBT can be of great utilities to both the Government as well as the public apart from having all the potential of being landmark structures in their respective areas?

An incomplete showpiece with no utility can never be counted as achievement.

But the way the State authority is handling the two projects is akin to putting the cart before the horse.

Or is it a case of throwing pearls before the swine ?