The current parliament building is circular.
New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold the opening ceremony of the new parliament building next week. Lok Sabha spokesman Om Prakash Birla met the prime minister this afternoon at his residence to officially invite him, officials said.
The new building, which is said to be designed as a triangle, will be built near the existing complex, officials say. It will be built by Tata Projects Limited at a cost of Rs 861.90 crore, officials said in September, adding that it is likely to be completed in a year.
Larsen and Toubro, who had submitted an offer of Rs 865 crore, had lost the offer to Tatas for the building to be constructed at “Plot Number 118” of the Parliament House Estate. The Central Department of Public Works had estimated a cost of Rs 940 crore
Head of Congress Sonia Gandhi, NCP’s Supriya Sule, had accused the government of misplaced priorities over the timing of the building’s construction as India continues to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The new building will have a large Constitution Hall to showcase India’s democratic heritage, a hall for members of Parliament, a library, multiple commission rooms, dining rooms and a large parking lot, the PTI news agency reported.
The current building is a British-era building, designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, who were responsible for the planning and construction of New Delhi. The building is circular and is one of the most acclaimed monuments in India; faces a statue of Mahatma Gandhi.
Earlier this year, the government had justified its decision to build a new parliament building by saying that the current structure “showed signs of distress and overuse.”
In January, Lok Sabha President Om Birla had said that in 2022, when the country celebrates 75 years of independence, sessions would be held in the new building.
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