Patna: Chief minister Nitish Kumar laid the foundation stone of Bihar Sadan - a government guest house-cum-liaisoning facility - in New Delhi on Wednesday amid chanting of Vedic hymns and said that the building will symbolise a modern and progressive Bihar.

Spread over 2 acres of land in Sector-19 of Dwarka locality in New Delhi, Bihar Sadan will be the third such facility belonging to the Bihar government in the national capital after Bihar Bhavan and Bihar Niwas.

"Bihar Sadan will present an image of a modern and progressive state. Its construction will benefit public representatives, government officials, and the people of Bihar, especially those who come here (Delhi) for medical treatment of their kin," Nitish said speaking after laying the foundation stone.

Inspecting the model of the building, the chief minister said it will have a basement, ground floor and 10 storeys. There will be 118 residential rooms, conference rooms having a capacity of 200 persons and a cafeteria that would serve 180 people at a time.

It will have 89 double rooms, 19 single bedrooms, eight VIP suites and two VVIP suites. "The building will use solar energy and will be fully earthquake-resistant. There is a lack of proper exhibition facilities, hence we have decided to have exhibition halls in it. Parking of vehicles will be done in the basement and a Wi-fi internet connection will be available at all levels," Nitish added.

Building construction minister Maheshwar Hazari, MLCs Dilip Chaudhary, Devesh Chandra Thakur and Rameshwar Mahto, MLA Gyanendra Singh Gyanu and building construction department principal secretary Chanchal Kumar, chief minister's secretary Atish Chandra, Bihar resident commissioner Vipin Kumar and several senior officials belonging to the Bihar cadre, who are on central deputation, were present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Nitish said several new buildings based on modern technology have been constructed in the state and they have grabbed attention at the international level.

He pointed out that the Bihar Museum along Bailey Road in Patna was one such example, while Samrat Ashok Convention Kendra was another. A hi-tech science city named after former president APJ Abdul Kalam is being built.

Expressing happiness on the occasion, the chief minister hoped that the project will be completed on time and inaugurated on October 2, 2019. Though Bihar Sadan will be spread over 2 acres, the building will cover one-third of the area, while the rest will be developed into a garden.