Patna, Nov. 19: The Bihar Legislature got an extension today as chief minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated a swanky 24,000sqm supplementary building to ease out the perennial space crunch it suffered. The secretariat expansion project was also launched on the occasion.

The five-floor building is being readied for the winter session of the legislature from November 25.

However, the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council sittings will be held at their usual places in the old legislature building. Both the buildings will be connected to each other for the ease of movement of legislators and officials.

"Everybody knows that the state legislature was suffering from a serious space crunch. Chairpersons of various committees and ministers had no place. The lobby had very little space and legislators could not sit once they came out of the House. In such a situation, this building is being inaugurated after overcoming several obstacles," Nitish said.

Legislative council chairman Awadhesh Narayan Singh, Assembly speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary, deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Leader Of Opposition in Legislative Council Sushil Kumar Modi, Leader Of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Prem Kumar, chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh, building construction principal secretary Amrit Lal Meena and several others were present on the occasion.

The building has been designed on the lines of the Central Hall of Parliament, and has a 10.75m-high dome.

It has a central hall with a capacity to seat 324 persons, a 1,206sqm library, chambers for Assembly speaker, council chairman, chief minister, deputy chief minister, ministers, whips and committees. The building will also have a bank branch, a post office, a railway booking centre, a health centre, a canteen, cyber café and media gallery.

Its library will combine the two separate libraries currently functioning under the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council.

Nitish also said that the housing project for legislators has been approved by the state cabinet and tenders will be invited and work will be started. It will have duplex houses allotted as per the number and name of Assembly constituencies.

"Once tenders are finalised, the project will be complete in two years. MLAs will get houses in the third year. Allotment of houses on the basis of number of constituency will ensure that houses are vacated on time, once an MLA of a constituency changes," Nitish added.