Construction of the new parliament building will start in December this year. The Lok Sabha Secretariat said on Friday that the construction work of the new building is likely to be completed by October 2022. The new building will house 1272 members in both houses. The existing building has a seating capacity of 788 MPs.
The bid for the construction of the new building, which is on par with the Old Parliament House, was won by Tata Projects Ltd last month for Rs 861.90 crore. According to Secretariat officials, a Grand Constitution Hall will also be built in the new Parliament House, which will display other Indian democratic heritage apart from the original copy of the Indian Constitution.
Apart from this, lounges, libraries, various committees' rooms, catering rooms, and ample parking lots will also be part of the new Parliament House complex for MPs.
The new triangular Parliament building is part of the Central Government's ambitious Central Vista project, under which the existing Central Secretariat will be built by removing the existing offices and residences on both sides of the three-kilometer long Rajpath from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate in the current Lutyens zone. In this project, the present Prime Minister's house will also be demolished.
According to the Lok Sabha Secretariat, a review meeting of the construction of the new building was held on Friday under the chairmanship of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri was also present in the meeting.
It was decided in the meeting that President Ramnath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also attend the likely foundation laying ceremony in December. In the meeting, it was decided to constitute a committee to monitor the quality of construction work, which will include officials from the Lok Sabha Secretariat, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, CPWD, NDMC as well as the project designer.
Preparation for pollution-free construction
Till the completion of construction of the new building, parliamentary sessions will be held in the present building itself, and in these sessions, it will be ensured that no disturbance is caused due to the construction work. Officials of the Secretariat said that during the construction of the new Parliament House, appropriate steps will also be taken to ensure that air and noise pollution does not occur.
A look at the old and new parliament house
There is a seating arrangement for 543 Lok Sabha and 245 Rajya Sabha members in the present Parliament House.
Seating of 888 Lok Sabha and 384 Rajya Sabha members will be arranged in the new building
Old Parliament House was built within six years with a cost of 83 lakh rupees
861 crore rupees to be built for the construction of new parliament building, to be ready in three years
Lutyens designed the old parliament building
British carpet The present Parliament House was designed by architect Edwin Lutyens and his colleague Herbert Baker, who planned and completed New Delhi. The foundation of the present circular building of about 560 feet in diameter was laid on 12 February 1921 and was inaugurated on 18 January 1927 by the then Governor-General Lord Irwin.