Niyamasabha
Encyclopedia
Niyamasabha Mandiram, located in Thiruvananthapuram
, is the seat of Kerala State Legislative Assembly. Built in classical Kerala architecture
, with strong influences of modern contemporary styles, it is a structure with grand staircase, gardens, water bodies and majestic Central Assembly Hall. Located in high security zone, the complex accommodates residence of Kerala Assembly speaker, legislature offices of all MLAs
, offices of independent commissions and bodies. The assembly was opened in May 22, 1998, by President of India
K. R. Narayanan
.
as Chambers of Sree Moolam State Council. Post independence, the assembly hall became seat of Kerala Legislature. However the space became a major constraint, especially in 1970s, when number of seats increased to 140. Moreover as part of opening assembly to public to see the assembly proceedings, often space crunch was reported in public galleries. It was considering all these facts, a new complex, dedicated for Assembly was concevied. In 1979, Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy, then-the Indian President laid foundation of new complex.
The site chosen was Government Estate at Palayam, in heart of Thiruvananthapuram
city, which was once the grounds of headquarters of Travancore Nair Army Brigade. The old Army Headquarters was converted into Legislature museum.
The entire structure is a large square structure with four frontages and each frontage supported by 40 pillars. The Main entrance faces west, has grand door. The West frontage has large circular copper plate, with Seal of Kerala
, inscribed on it. The foyer opens to Central Assembly Hall is majestically designed with ornate paneling in teak and rosewood. The Central hall is of 95 m height and has 8 carved galleries, accommodating 800 people and media box. The central hall has 140 seats set in an amphitheatre style with grand podium for the speaker and 3 sets of jury tables for executive staff. The background wall houses a large portrait of Mahatma Gandhi
. The entire hall is electronic designed with hidden microphones and electronic voting systems.
There is a large veranda equally encircling the entire structure. On its east side, the complex is connected to Administrative complex through a corridor, which houses offices of all legislature and other independent commissions. The majestic dome is built in traditional Kerala Koothuambalam style.
The main complex houses the following offices, apart from Central Assembly Hall
Apart from this, there is a large canteen and kitchen facility, located at ground floor and a large parking space at basement for 400 cars.
, apart from few office spaces for semi-judicial and legislative commissions. The Office of Kerala Lokayuktha (a constitutional Anti-Corruption body governing over all public leaders and politicians on public offices) is located in the Administrative office complex.
and research scholars.The Library provide admission to Ex-Members and former officers of the legislature secretariat. The Library preserves the entire proceedings of the House since 1888 and taking steps to digitize the entire proceedings and making it available in the internet. The digitized version of the Proceedings from 1957 to 1982 are now available in the online.
In addition regular training programs are conducted for government officials related to legislature, especially related to drafting various statues and acts of Niyamasabha. Media and press officials are also given training in effective reporting of Niyamasabha proceedings.
Apart from this, NCT is an authorized center for training legislators and officials of Maldives
's People Majlis. In past interns from other Indian states, Sri Lanka, SAARC and Canada are trained in NCT. Bureau of Parliamentary Studies and Training (BPST), New Delhi and Institute of Management in Government, Kerala (IMG) have chosen NCT as center for their programs.
headquarters, located inside Niyamasabha campus, is now converted into full fledged Legislature museum displaying various photos and other objects & artifacts that shows the growth of legislature in Kerala. The old assembly hall inside Secretariat Complex is converted in legislature museum where mock assemblies are conducted to train students about legislature process along with a photo gallery.
are not allowed to enter into premises of state legislature. This is primarily because to maintain the independence of legislature from executive organs, which includes police department, as the latter is answerable to state government.
Due to this reason, the protection and security of the house is maintained by a specialized force, known as The Watch and Ward. The Watch and Ward comprises 220 watch wardens with 5 Chief Wardens, who direct reports to Niyamasabha Privileges Committee and the Speaker. The watch and ward are also responsible for maintaining sanity of Niyamasabha and empowered to arrest and remove any individual, including MLA
, upon orders of speaker, on account of unacceptable behaviour or violation of assembly laws.
The house is under control of Legislature Secretary, who is also known as Chief Curator, responsible for passing executive orders on behalf of Speaker as well as exercising executive authority over legislature staff and premises. The Legislature Secretary has powers of executive magistrate and has a cabinet secretary ranking as per state protocols.
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
, is the seat of Kerala State Legislative Assembly. Built in classical Kerala architecture
Architecture of Kerala
Kerala architecture is a kind of architectural style that is mostly found in Indian state of Kerala. Kerala style of architecture is one of the most unique in India, especially in its striking contrast to Dravidian architecture, other Tamil architecture popularly seen in South India and its close...
, with strong influences of modern contemporary styles, it is a structure with grand staircase, gardens, water bodies and majestic Central Assembly Hall. Located in high security zone, the complex accommodates residence of Kerala Assembly speaker, legislature offices of all MLAs
Member of Legislative Assembly
A Member of Legislative Assembly, or MLA, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to the Legislature of a State in the Indian system of government...
, offices of independent commissions and bodies. The assembly was opened in May 22, 1998, by President of India
President of India
The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. President of India is also the formal head of all the three branches of Indian Democracy - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary...
K. R. Narayanan
K. R. Narayanan
Kocheril Raman Narayanan , also known as K. R. Narayanan, was the tenth President of India. He was the first Dalit, and the first Malayali, to have been President....
.
History
Kerala Niyasabha was initially located in Secretariat Complex from December 12, 1933, during days of Kingdom of TravancoreTravancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
as Chambers of Sree Moolam State Council. Post independence, the assembly hall became seat of Kerala Legislature. However the space became a major constraint, especially in 1970s, when number of seats increased to 140. Moreover as part of opening assembly to public to see the assembly proceedings, often space crunch was reported in public galleries. It was considering all these facts, a new complex, dedicated for Assembly was concevied. In 1979, Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy, then-the Indian President laid foundation of new complex.
The site chosen was Government Estate at Palayam, in heart of Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
city, which was once the grounds of headquarters of Travancore Nair Army Brigade. The old Army Headquarters was converted into Legislature museum.
Interiors
The Niyamasabha has 5 stories including ground floor and one basement meant for private parking of official cars. Leading to the foyer in first floor, is a flight of stairs with 51 steps, more than 200 feet (61 m) wide.The entire structure is a large square structure with four frontages and each frontage supported by 40 pillars. The Main entrance faces west, has grand door. The West frontage has large circular copper plate, with Seal of Kerala
Seal of Kerala
The State emblem of Kerala used by Government of Kerala, to represent the state in all its official correspondences. The emblem symbolizes 2 elephants guarding the state and national insignias.- Description :...
, inscribed on it. The foyer opens to Central Assembly Hall is majestically designed with ornate paneling in teak and rosewood. The Central hall is of 95 m height and has 8 carved galleries, accommodating 800 people and media box. The central hall has 140 seats set in an amphitheatre style with grand podium for the speaker and 3 sets of jury tables for executive staff. The background wall houses a large portrait of Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
. The entire hall is electronic designed with hidden microphones and electronic voting systems.
There is a large veranda equally encircling the entire structure. On its east side, the complex is connected to Administrative complex through a corridor, which houses offices of all legislature and other independent commissions. The majestic dome is built in traditional Kerala Koothuambalam style.
The main complex houses the following offices, apart from Central Assembly Hall
- The Chamber of Speaker
- The Office of Chief of House (Chief Minister)
- The Office of Opposition Leader
- The Office of Chief Curator
- The Office of Chief of Watch & Wards
- Media Room
- Press and Information Center
- Conference room
Apart from this, there is a large canteen and kitchen facility, located at ground floor and a large parking space at basement for 400 cars.
Exteriors
There are 2 large gardens, South Gardens houses memorials of several famous leaders and veteran legislators of past. The North Gardens has several water features.Statues
- A large statue of Mahatma GandhiMahatma GandhiMohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
, located in front of Grand Staircase, in meditating pose - A statue of Jawaharlal NehruJawaharlal NehruJawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
on right side of Grand Staircase - A statue of AmbedkarAmbedkar- People :* Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar ,Indian jurist, political leader, Buddhist activist, philosopher, thinker, anthropologist, historian, orator, prolific writer, economist, scholar, editor, revolutionary and a revivalist for Buddhism in India....
on left side of Grand Staircase - A bust of K R Narayanan at the lower entrance
Administrative Office
The 230000 sq ft (21,367.7 m²) administrative office complex houses individual offices of each MLAMember of Legislative Assembly
A Member of Legislative Assembly, or MLA, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to the Legislature of a State in the Indian system of government...
, apart from few office spaces for semi-judicial and legislative commissions. The Office of Kerala Lokayuktha (a constitutional Anti-Corruption body governing over all public leaders and politicians on public offices) is located in the Administrative office complex.
LEGISLATURE LIBRARY
The Administrative Block is home of 120 year of Kerala Legislature Library, now having more than 95,000 titles and political reference books, original copies of various statutes and acts and other legal references, for the reference of MLAsMember of Legislative Assembly
A Member of Legislative Assembly, or MLA, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to the Legislature of a State in the Indian system of government...
and research scholars.The Library provide admission to Ex-Members and former officers of the legislature secretariat. The Library preserves the entire proceedings of the House since 1888 and taking steps to digitize the entire proceedings and making it available in the internet. The digitized version of the Proceedings from 1957 to 1982 are now available in the online.
Training Center
The Niyamasabha Training Center (NCT) is located in the Administrative complex, which provides various short and long term courses for legislators of the state as well as from other states and nations. The training center conducts annual programs for all its legislators apart from special orientation programs for first time legislators. All state legislators are given primary training on various legal framework, important state and national statutes, constitution as well as computer training. Trainings are imparted on legislative skills and effective debating.In addition regular training programs are conducted for government officials related to legislature, especially related to drafting various statues and acts of Niyamasabha. Media and press officials are also given training in effective reporting of Niyamasabha proceedings.
Apart from this, NCT is an authorized center for training legislators and officials of Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
's People Majlis. In past interns from other Indian states, Sri Lanka, SAARC and Canada are trained in NCT. Bureau of Parliamentary Studies and Training (BPST), New Delhi and Institute of Management in Government, Kerala (IMG) have chosen NCT as center for their programs.
Legislature Museum
The Niyamasabha maintains 2 museums for promoting legislative awareness among public. The old Travancore ArmyNair Brigade
The Nair Brigade was the army of the erstwhile kingdom of Travancore in India. Nairs were a warrior community in the region which was responsible for the security of Travancore and other local kingdoms. King Marthanda Varma's personal bodyguard was called 'Thiruvithamkoor Nair Pattalam'...
headquarters, located inside Niyamasabha campus, is now converted into full fledged Legislature museum displaying various photos and other objects & artifacts that shows the growth of legislature in Kerala. The old assembly hall inside Secretariat Complex is converted in legislature museum where mock assemblies are conducted to train students about legislature process along with a photo gallery.
Security
From days of Monarchy, the state policeKerala Police
The Kerala State Police is the law enforcement agency for the state of Kerala, India. Kerala Police has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital. The Police training college was set up by Travancore Maharaja in Thiruvananthapuram in mid 20th centuary. In 2004,a larger Kerala...
are not allowed to enter into premises of state legislature. This is primarily because to maintain the independence of legislature from executive organs, which includes police department, as the latter is answerable to state government.
Due to this reason, the protection and security of the house is maintained by a specialized force, known as The Watch and Ward. The Watch and Ward comprises 220 watch wardens with 5 Chief Wardens, who direct reports to Niyamasabha Privileges Committee and the Speaker. The watch and ward are also responsible for maintaining sanity of Niyamasabha and empowered to arrest and remove any individual, including MLA
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
, upon orders of speaker, on account of unacceptable behaviour or violation of assembly laws.
The house is under control of Legislature Secretary, who is also known as Chief Curator, responsible for passing executive orders on behalf of Speaker as well as exercising executive authority over legislature staff and premises. The Legislature Secretary has powers of executive magistrate and has a cabinet secretary ranking as per state protocols.
Other structures
The Niyamasabha campus has few other structures apart from main complex and museum.- Neethi: The official residence of Speaker of Kerala Niyamasabha is located on the North side of the complex. As the Speaker has a rank of a cabinet minister, the residence has its own camp office and quarters for private staff of the Speaker. The security of the residence is vested with Niyamasabha Watch and Ward.
- Hanuman TempleO.T.C. Hanuman Temple, PalayamO.T.C. Hanuman Temple is one of the most visited Hanuman temples in Kerala. This temple is situated at Palayam in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.-History of the temple:...
, is a popular Hanuman temple, located inside Niyamasabha Campus, which was one of the official temples of Mounted Nair Calvary of Travancore ArmyNair BrigadeThe Nair Brigade was the army of the erstwhile kingdom of Travancore in India. Nairs were a warrior community in the region which was responsible for the security of Travancore and other local kingdoms. King Marthanda Varma's personal bodyguard was called 'Thiruvithamkoor Nair Pattalam'...
.
- MLA Hostel : The Niyamasabha Secretariat maintains MLA Hostel located 400 meters away from Niyamasabha campus, for accommodation of all MLAs. MLA Hostel provides single and family room accommodation to all its members along with few guest rooms for visiting parliamentary guests. The MLA hostel has its own canteen run by Indian Coffee House and a business center.