Kolkata: CM Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday mooted a proposal to develop a new assembly building to accommodate more MLAs, saying more space would be needed if delimitation took place and the present building was a heritage one.A new assembly has to be built just like the new Lok Sabha has been built, the CM said.“In the coming days, if delimitation happens and if women’s reservation happens, the number of seats may increase from 294 to 400. For this, planning should be done from now. A place is there, and an all-party delegation may visit it,” Adhikari said.A source said a land in New Town was being considered for the proposal.In the 2026 delimitation process, Lok Sabha seats may increase from 543 to more than 800, which will be based on the 2011 census.
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Once that happens, the number of assembly seats would also be revised.The primary planning for a new assembly should start now, Adhikari said, adding: “PWD or whatever construction agencies are there, start the primary thinking from now as this building is heritage. The future will tell how we will use this building.”The CM cited the Covid times when MLAs used to sit maintaining social distancing. “If there are more than 400 members, there will be no space to sit here,” he said.Speaking on the forged signature issue, Adhikari said he felt disappointed. “This has not happened in this assembly since independence… MLAs who were not even present at a meeting for electing the opposition leader, the signatures of such 13 MLAs were tampered with. This is unprecedented,” he said.Adhikari added that arrangements should be made so that each assembly session runs for at least 2 weeks in the coming days. “Ministers, please meet MLAs while the assembly is in session. If there are fewer than 7 people in the assembly, adjourn the House. Do not compromise on attendance. At the end of each session, launch the MLA attendance, performance and attendance on the assembly website,” he said.The CM said on average, the House should function for 80 to 100 days. “Just as we need electronic voting machines on the assembly premises, the quality of the canteen should also be improved,” he said.
