NEW DELHI: Construction of a new Parliament building will begin in December this year and is likely to be completed by October 2022, while necessary measures have been put in place to ensure that Parliament sessions can be held uninterrupted during this period in the existing buildings, Lok Sabha Secretariat said on Friday.
Officials also said that sufficient steps have been taken to control air and noise pollution during the construction work for the new parliament building, which will have separate offices for all MPs and those will be equipped with the latest digital interfaces as a step towards creating ‘paperless offices’.
The new building will also have a grand Constitution Hall to showcase India’s democratic heritage, a lounge for members of
Parliament, a library, multiple committee rooms, dining areas and ample parking space.
In the new building, the Lok Sabha chamber will have a seating capacity for 888 members, while Rajya Sabha will have 384 seats for the upper house members, sources said after a review meeting chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. This has been done keeping in mind the future increase in the number of members for the two houses.
At present, Lok Sabha has a sanctioned strength of 543 members and Rajya Sabha of 245.
The ground-breaking ceremony is expected to be held in December and may be attended by President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, besides the presiding officers of the two houses among other dignitaries including political leaders.
The existing building is a British era building, designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker who were responsible for planning and construction of New Delhi.
The Foundation Stone of the existing Parliament House was laid on February 12, 1921 and the construction took six years and cost Rs 83 lakh at that time. The opening ceremony was performed on January 18, 1927 by the then Governor-General of India, Lord Irwin.
At the meeting, Birla said there should be no compromise in ensuring quality control and timely completion of the work relating to the new Parliament House.
A monitoring committee will be constituted to oversee the construction work, which would include officers of Lok Sabha
Secretariat, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, CPWD, NDMC and architect/designer of the project.
Last month, Tata Projects Limited won the bid to construct the new parliament building at a cost of Rs 861.90 crore. The new building will be constructed close to the existing one under the Central Vista redevelopment project.
In a statement, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said Birla chaired a review meeting regarding the construction of the new Parliament House today. The meeting was also attended by Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Hardeep Singh Puri.
During the meeting, Birla was briefed about the progress made in the shifting of facilities and other infrastructure from the area proposed for the construction of the new building.
—PTI

Press Trust of India