Puducherry lieutenant governor, speaker clash over construction of assembly cum chief secretariat complex

PUDUCHERRY: A war of words has erupted between lieutenant governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and speaker of the legislative assembly R Selvam over the proposed construction of a new legislative assembly-cum-chief secretariat complex in the Union territory at an estimated cost of Rs 335.7 crore.

Selvam said the lieutenant governor instead of approving and forwarding the detailed project report (DPR) to the Union home ministry for its approval, started posing several queries leading to inordinate delay in commencing the massive project.


Raj Nivas in a statement on Wednesday said the report submitted by govt could have clarified whether the number of floors proposed was taken into consideration while calculating the area under construction. The release said the gubernatorial office was, hence, not responsible for the delay in executing the project. The release pointed out that Raj Nivas has now received a fresh DPR, which was under consideration.

On Thursday, Selvam, after adjourning the House sine die, told reporters that he, while participating in the all-India speakers’ conference in 2021, had insisted on the need for a new complex to house the legislative assembly and chief secretariat as currently, the legislative assembly and chief secretariat were functioning in separate buildings. Moreover, the legislative assembly functions in a heritage building, which is more than 150 years old.

He said he later called on the Prime Minister, Union home minister, and Lok Sabha speaker in Delhi and submitted memorandums requesting 100% financial assistance to construct the new complex. The Union home ministry in an official correspondence in 2021 directed the Puducherry government to submit a preliminary project report (PPR). The government prepared a PPR, requesting a grant of Rs 335.7 crore to execute the project and submitted the report to the ministry.



The ministry in December 2021 sought a few clarifications and directed the government to submit a detailed project report (DPR). The government engaged a Noida-based firm, prepared a DPR to construct the new complex, and submitted the report to the lieutenant governor for her approval in October last year.