Covid concerns: In a first, Bihar House to meet under new roof for more room

PATNA

PATNA

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For the first time, the full session of the Bihar Legislature will be held outside the legislature premises to conform to social distancing norms, being as it is held under the shadow of Covid-19 pandemic, which has hit Patna hard.

The brief four-day monsoon session, the last session of the 16th Assembly, is scheduled from August 3 and will be held at Gyan Bhawan at the Samrat Ashok International Convention Centre in the state capital, which has a much bigger seating capacity than the central hall of the state legislature.

Sources said the session could also be further truncated, but the decision would only be taken at the customary all-party meeting before the start of the session or the business advisory committee meeting comprising members from various political parties, which happens on the first day of the session itself.

As Governor Phagu Chouhan has already summoned the Legislative Assembly on the recommendation of the cabinet, the Bihar government, acting on the request of the Bihar Legislative Assembly, has recommended him to issue a modified summon letter.

Assembly speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary said his secretariat had written to the Bihar government that it would not be possible to hold the session in the central hall, which does not have space to accommodate all 243 members with desired seating arrangement.

“The government was requested to look for some other place where social distancing norms could be properly followed. The government has selected Gyan Bhawan at the Samrat Ashok International Convention Centre for it, as it has enough space and open entry and exit points,” said Choudhary.

The state-of-the-art convention centre to the north of Gandhi Maidan was inaugurated in 2017 and is one of the iconic structures built during the Nitish Kumar government.

Choudhary said the Assembly session would be held in the conference hall on the second floor, which has a seating capacity of 800, while Legislative Council session would be held in the meeting hall on the first floor.

Bihar is one of the five states having bicameral legislature having two Houses.

“Despite trying various combinations, we could not ensure proper distance between two members in the central hall. Ultimately, the speaker said that the government should be asked to explore other options. For the Bihar Legislative Council, however, there is no space issue, as the 75-member House has 21 vacancies. But both Houses need to run close by. The ministers often have to shift from one House to another,” said a senior Vidhan Sabha official.

The Budget session of the Bihar Legislature had come to a premature end on March 16, 15 days before schedule, amid the Covid-19 outbreak and following a unanimous view at the business advisory committee. It was scheduled to end on March 31.

Samrat Ashok International Convention Centre

Foundation stone laid by Nitish Kumar on February 8, 2014

Built at a cost of Rs 500 crore, inaugurated in 2017

Has a 5,000-seat main conference hall, built with around 21,600 tonnes of steel, and is called Bapu Sabhagar

Gyan Bhawan got a scholarly start in 2017 with an international seminar on Mahatma Gandhi to launch the year-long centenary celebrations of Champaran Satyagrah