CJP Jantar Mantar Protest Updates
After evaluating 12 designs, three have been shortlisted and sent to the state govt for approval.The complex will have a central Assembly hall with wings extending outward in the shape of lotus petals. These wings will accommodate offices, a library, research centres and digital meeting halls. The campus will also include solar power systems, rainwater harvesting and landscaped green areas.Plans include a 700-seat Legislative Assembly, a 200-seat Legislative Council, a 1,000-seat session hall and parking space for more than 5,000 vehicles. A modern secretariat, chief minister’s residence, legislators’ hostels and administrative blocks are also part of the proposal.The project has been planned keeping in view the likely increase in the number of legislators after the proposed delimitation exercise. While the present Assembly has 403 members, the new complex is being designed to accommodate up to 700 legislators.The state budget has earmarked Rs 100 crore for preparing the master plan and completing the design process. Construction is expected to begin in 2027.Existing Vidhan Bhawan inaugurated in 1928 was built at a cost of Rs 21 lakhThe existing Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Bhavan, one of Lucknow’s prominent heritage buildings, was conceived during the British era. Its foundation stone was laid on Dec 15, 1922, by Sir Spencer Harcourt Butler, then Governor of the United Provinces. The building took nearly six years to complete and was inaugurated on Feb 21, 1928, by Sir William Morris. Originally known as the Council House, it was designed by architects Sir Swinton Jacob and Hira Singh and built at a cost of about Rs 21 lakh. The building currently houses the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council.
