BHUBANESWAR: Works minister Prithiviraj Harichandan on Tuesday said the existing Odisha Legislative Assembly (OLA) building will not be touched during the redevelopment of the integrated secretariat complex.
The clarification comes a day after Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi laid the foundation stone for a state-of-the-art new Lok Seva Bhawan complex housing the Vidhan Sabha. The move triggered speculations over the fate of the existing structure.
Speaking to mediapersons here, Harichandan said the historic Assembly building is a vital institutional structure and there is no proposal whatsoever to demolish or modify it. “The Assembly building will remain exactly as it is. Only the heads of departments building, popularly known as Naa Tala, Secha Sadan and Rajiv Bhavan will be taken down as they have already been declared unsafe,” he informed.
The minister said the existing OLA campus is too inadequate to meet the future legislative requirements. There is no scope for expansion and parking of vehicles remain an issue in view of the space constraints.
Responding to concerns raised in public regarding the fate of the Assembly building, Harichandan said, “The government respects the emotional and historical value attached to the structure. There is no question of disturbing the Assembly.”
He said the existing structure may serve as a Vidhan Parishad (legislative council) in future or it may be converted to a museum. Construction of the Assembly building was completed in early 1961 and inaugurated by the then Vice-President of India Dr S Radhakrishnan on February 12, 1961.
The minister explained that the project aims to modernise the government’s administrative infrastructure by bringing major departments under one roof to improve coordination among offices and enhance public service delivery. “The present arrangement of government offices across multiple locations in Bhubaneswar causes administrative delays and inconvenience to the public, which the new complex seeks to address,” he said.
“We are building for the next several decades, keeping in mind the future growth of the state’s administration,” he noted adding, the demolition of Naa Tala and Secha Sadan will be carried out in a phased and planned manner to ensure that government work continues without disruption.