Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. (Twitter/PTI Photo/File)Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to include the expansion and modernisation of the Parliament building in his resolution for “New India”, marking the completion of 75 years of Independence in 2022.
Making an observation soon as the House met, Birla said it is the wish of members that Parliament building of the world’s largest republic and democracy should be magnificent. He said all political decisions were taken in this hallowed temple of Indian republic, which has completed 92 years of existence. He also assured members that sanctity and dignity of Parliament will be kept intact.
A similar observation was made by Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu in the Upper House on Monday.
Birla has undertaken the task to make Lok Sabha’s functioning paperless, even as members such as Kalyan Banerjee of Trinamool Congress sounded a note of caution, citing the example of the Supreme Court, where a similar move had to be halted due to practical problems that emerged.
A suggestion for construction of a new building for Parliament had been mooted during the tenure of former Speaker Meira Kumar. She had appointed a committee in 2011 to suggest alternatives. The argument for the move was that the heritage structure could not meet present-day demands — its walls are over-wired and sandstone tiles uneven, while large stretches of corridors have been used to add extra rooms.
