Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday laid the foundation stones for three major infrastructure projects in the state capital—a new Secretariat building ‘Lokseva Bhawan’, a new Odisha Legislative Assembly building, and an elevated road corridor connecting Nandankanan with Jayadev Vihar. The foundation-laying ceremony was held during the observance of National Road Safety Month.
Drawing a parallel with the recently built Parliament complex under Delhi’s Central Vista project, the Chief Minister said Odisha too requires a modern Legislative Assembly building designed to serve the state’s needs for at least the next 50 years. He noted that with the forthcoming delimitation exercise, the strength of the Assembly, currently at 147 members, is likely to increase by around 50 seats.
Accordingly, the new Assembly building will have enhanced seating capacity, allowing expansion to about 200 MLAs in the near future, with further provision to scale up to 300 seats over the next five decades. The project will be developed as part of an integrated campus, while the existing Assembly building will continue to function until the new one is completed.
The Chief Minister also announced the construction of a new Secretariat building, Lokseva Bhawan, citing the deteriorating condition of the current structure. He said the existing building has become inadequate to meet modern administrative requirements, with ageing electrical systems, water pipelines and other infrastructure posing serious safety risks, including the possibility of fire hazards.
The proposed Lokseva Bhawan will be a technology-enabled, modern administrative complex designed to ensure safety, efficiency and sustainability, while catering to future governance needs. Majhi said that the new Legislative Assembly and Secretariat buildings will be developed on a single campus spread over 71.13 acres, with a total investment of ₹3,623 crore. Both structures will be equipped with advanced features and modern facilities.
On the same occasion, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for an elevated corridor from Jayadev Vihar to Nandankanan, to be built at an estimated cost of ₹952 crore. Highlighting the growing traffic congestion in Bhubaneswar, he said the Nandankanan–Jayadev Vihar stretch is among the city’s busiest and most congested corridors.
To ease traffic flow, the government has planned a well-designed flyover with integrated traffic management solutions. The project has been conceived on modern metropolitan lines, ensuring smooth vehicular movement on the elevated road along with improved junction management at ground level. Majhi informed that the Detailed Project Report has been completed and the project has already received formal approval.
