Decision on site for new Uttar Pradesh legislature building likely soon
Minister for parliamentary affairs Suresh Khanna also said the state government is in the process of selection of a site for the new building though he did not give any timeframe for completing the process.
A day after the Parliament of India shifted to the new building in New Delhi, the state government is set to expedite measures to have a new building to house the bicameral legislature of Uttar Pradesh in Lucknow.
Those aware of the development said the state government is in the process of selection of an appropriate site for the new building and chief minister Yogi Adityanath may soon take a call on the issue.
“We are in the process of selection of a site for the new building. The state government’s consultant HCP Design Planning and Management Private Limited, which designed the new Parliament building, will provide options for possible sites for construction of the state legislature’s new building and a decision on the issue will be taken once a presentation is made at the top level in the coming weeks,” said at least two officers without giving any further details.
Minister for parliamentary affairs Suresh Khanna also said the state government is in the process of selection of a site for the new building though he did not give any timeframe for completing the process.
“We have earmarked a sum of ₹50 crore for the construction of a new legislature building in the state’s budget for 2023-2024. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath wants a new building for the state legislature, and the state government is in the process of selection of site for the new building,” Khanna said.
Various options that are likely to be considered for the new state legislature building include the Darul Shafa area around the Lok Bhavan that houses the chief minister’s office. The area being occupied by the Nawab Wazid Ali Shah Zoological Gardens in Hazratganj may provide another option once the zoo is shifted. The available space in the Chak Gajaria Farm area on Sultanpur Road is also an option.
Others aware of the development said the option of Darul Shafa area was considered in the 1990s and a replica of the existing Vidhan Bhavan was proposed in front of the existing Vidhan Bhavan. The Lok Bhawan has come up on a part of this space.
The Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Bhavan’s existing main building that houses the Vidhan Sabha was constructed in 1928. The then U.P. Governor Sir Spencer Harcourt Butler had laid the foundation stone of the grand building on December 15, 1922, and it was inaugurated on February 21, 1928. A sum of ₹21 lakh was sanctioned for the Vidhan Bhavan building, which is the one of the finest examples of Indo-European architectural craftsmanship.
The Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Bhawan continues to face space crunch. Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha had to work on increasing the number of seats in the main assembly hall when it decided to implement the National eVidhan Application after 2022 assembly election to make the House paperless.
The state legislative assembly, which has a sanctioned strength of 403 members, had only 379 seats. Additional rows were added and the space within the rows was used to add 35 seats there. There is also a paucity of space in the Vidhan Parishad area and the new building, when constructed, will take care of this issue as well.
