Special session of Jharkhand assembly conducted in happy mood

Sporting smile on their faces, legislators, cutting across party lines, mingled and exchanged bonhomie with each other during the one-day special session hosted in the newly constructed Assembly building here on Friday. The session was conducted a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the building on Thursday.

Governor Droupadi Murmu gave inaugural speech on the occasion. No business was listed for the day. After governor's address, Speaker Dinesh Oraon invited members to share their delight on getting a new legislative building 19 years after Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar.

Forgetting their political differences, members from treasury as well the opposition benches exchanged pleasantries and congratulated each other to hail the occasion. Speaker hosted a lunch for all the dignitaries after the function ended at 2 pm.

Constructed at a cost of Rs 465 crore, the three-storied building has come up at Kute gram, a few km from the old Assembly premises, which was in the Lenin Hall of the Heavy Engineering Corporation area. The state-of-art structure, which has come up on 39 acres, has 57,220 square metres of built-up area. The edifice has a spectacular 37-metre-tall dome.

The new premises will be first in the country to be a paperless assembly. The grand assembly building closely resembles the lobbies of Parliament.

There are provisions for water harvesting and energy conservation in the building. For energy efficiency, 300 KVA two solar power systems have been installed through which power will be supplied to the building. Forty per cent of the power requirement will be met through renewable energy.

Chief Minister Raghubar Das joined the lawmakers to celebrate the occasion. But, the leader of Opposition Hemant Soren, whom the government had invited, was "missing". "We made all efforts to personally extend invitation to the leader of the opposition. But we did not get time. Still, the government invited him and others (to attend the house today)," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Nilkanth Singh Munda said.

He said this when one of the opposition leaders drew the attention of the Speaker, Dinesh Oraon, saying it would have been nice had the leader of the opposition was present in this special session. Chief Minister Raghubar Das corroborated Mundas information to the House saying the minister did not get time to personally inviting Soren; yet the government invited him.

Matted with green carpet, the rotunda (dome-shaped) house has enough room between seats, aisles and for reporters. The galleries for press reporters, visitors and officials are in the first floor with a clear sight to watch the house proceedings unlike the old building.

With inscription of Satyameva Jayate (Truth alone triumphs) and photos of Mahatma Gandhi and tribal icon Birsa Munda in the backdrop, the speakers chair gives a clear view of the entire house. Governor Droupadi Murmu said that it was a proud moment for the state as it got the "highest panchayat" 19 years after its creation.

In her opening speech, she said relentless work by Raghubar Dass government after laying its foundation stone four years ago gave the grand building. She, however, said that the yardstick of any system could not be measured by its grandness, but it becomes meaningful only when "our conduct, thought and behaviour is in proportion to the grandness".

Stating that the last monsoon session began with the launching of Chandrayaan, the governor said this one-day session also began in the backdrop of the moon mission just falling short of some distance and scientists are working hard to make it success and they would definitely achieve it. Even the world lauded Indias moon mission, she said.

"I know members have demonstrated their legislature (skill) in fiscal and in other works so far and every moment (in the House business) has been an effort to infusing new energy in the people," Murmu added. "The House is very big and specious for 82 members. (As demand for increase in the House strength has been there for years), efforts may be made to increase it to 150 members, Independent MLA Bhanu Pratap Sahi said in his brief speech in the House.

BJPs chief whip Radha Krishna Kishore recollected Prime Minister Narendra Modis inauguration of the building on Thursday saying, I requested the prime minister for a photo session with members yesterday. He gladly accepted the request and had the photo session. He even asked a photographer to go to the first floor and take photo as it would make a better one. Showering accolades to the government for fulfilling the desire of the members of having their own assembly building, Marxist Coordination Committee MLA Arup Chatterjee urged the state government to turn the old assembly into a memorial.

I would like to request the government to make the old assembly, Lenin Hall, as a memorial of sorts, he said. Every member who spoke in the House praised the new three-storey building.

It is heartening to see photographers and camera persons freely doing their work in the allotted time unlike the jostling and shoving seen in the previous House, said one of the journalists..

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)