Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday (January 12, 2026) laid the foundation for an ultra-modern campus, which would house the State Secretariat and a new 300-seat-capacity Odisha Legislative Assembly building, which will be constructed in line with the Central Vista project.
“Spread over 71.13 acres, the campus will house both the Lok Seva Bhavan (secretariat) and the State Legislative Assembly. Keeping the delimitation in mind, the Legislative Assembly will be expanded to 300 seats. An estimated ₹3,623 crore has been earmarked for this project,” said the State Government in a statement.
Speaking at the foundation laying ceremony, Mr. Majhi said, “you are aware that the existing Odisha Legislative Assembly building has become old. Following the delimitation of constituencies, the number of seats in the State Assembly is expected to increase from the present 147. The current House has the capacity to accommodate only two or three additional members.”
“While there is no official confirmation yet, it is being widely discussed that the strength of the Assembly could eventually rise to around 200 members. We are not constructing an Assembly building merely for the next decade or two. The idea behind designing a House with a capacity of 300 members is to anticipate possible changes over the next 100 years,” he pointed out.
Mr. Majhi informed, “in line with the Central Vista project, under which the new Parliament building was constructed, we have taken a forward-looking step to build a new Legislative Assembly for Odisha. The proposed building will be a majestic structure.”
State Works Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said the existing State Secretariat was constructed decades ago, with several additional buildings added over the years to accommodate the growing workforce. He noted that the Secretariat complex has outlived its structural durability and that some of the buildings would, by now, qualify to be declared unsafe.
“Keeping future requirements in mind, a new Secretariat building will be constructed within the same campus,” Mr. Harichandan said.
On this occasion, Odisha CM also laid the foundation stone for a new elevated corridor from Jayadev Vihar to Nandankanan, at an estimated cost of ₹952 crore.
“As part of this project, four flyovers will be constructed at Jayadev Vihar Square, Kalinga Hospital Square, Damana Square, and KIIT Square. This will improve traffic management on one of the busiest roads in the State and enable the general public to commute more conveniently in less time,” State Government said.
Curated by Dr. Elena Rodriguez
