Vidhana Soudha, the 57-year-old majestic building that houses the State legislature and Secretariat, will be illuminated every night in an eco-friendly way.
Announcing this at a press conference in Bangalore on Wednesday, Legislative Council Chairman D.H. Shankaramurthy said solar power would be used to light up the building.At present, it is only illuminated on occasions such as the Karnataka Rajyotsava Day. Mr. Shankaramurthy suggested it would be better to illuminate the building for at least two hours every night as it is one of the major tourist attractions in the State.
“We have decided to opt for solar power it may not be proper to use conventional power with the power shortage,” he said.
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Modernisation
Mr. Shankaramurthy is also trying to convince the government to modernise the steps of the Vidhana Soudha. He pointed out that there were four entrances and there were complaints from visitors that the steps were worn out and not worthy of the structure.
Repairs on ceiling leakage and modernisation of a meeting hall will also be taken up. The work will start after the budget session and will be completed in September.
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He said it was not right to label the Vidhana Soudha as a heritage building as it had not completed 100 years. “Describing this as a heritage building would impose technical restrictions on modernisation of the building,” he added.
Alterations made
Mr. Shankaramurthy, who was in the news recently for altering his office in the Vidhana Soudha, maintained that it was not wrong to bring down the walls in his office. “In fact, some of the rooms in the Vidhana Soudha were created a few years ago by erecting walls in big halls to accommodate a big Ministry. However, the requirement of rooms has now reduced as the size of the Ministry is smaller now,” he said.
Gandhi statue
A bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi will soon be installed at a vantage position between the Vidhana Soudha and the Vikasa Soudha following a resolution adopted by the State Legislature. According to Mr. Shankaramurthy, an order will be issued on this in 10 to 15 days.
The architects have said the statue’s height should not be less than 30 ft as it is being installed close to the two buildings.