Kolkata: Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday proposed the construction of a new state Assembly building in New Town, urging Speaker Rathindranath Basu to begin preparations.
He said the future legislature complex should be built on the lines of Parliament’s new building. The proposed delimitation of Assembly constituencies and the implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women could push the number of legislators beyond 400, Adhikari said.
The present Assembly has 294 seats. Adhikari asked the Speaker to visit the proposed site with representatives of all political parties, along with the Public Works Department and other agencies involved in construction.
“We have to prepare a preliminary plan. There will be no shortage of funds,” CM said.
The previous government had already allotted around 40 acres in New Town for a proposed Assembly complex.
The plan envisages a new Assembly building, accommodation for legislators and an Assembly secretariat within the same campus.
About the present Assembly building, he said: “What it will be used for will be decided in time. But this building is a heritage structure.” The Chief Minister also called for improving facilities in the legislators’ building and upgrading the Assembly canteen. Adhikari also proposed the creation of a new website to provide information on the attendance and performance of legislators.
