Updated: December 6, 2020 7:20:24 am
A model of the new Parliament building estimated to cost Rs 971 crore. (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the first stone of the new Parliament building on December 10, and the ceremony will be attended by leaders and representatives of all parties who will be present in physical or virtual form.
Making this announcement at a press conference on Saturday, spokesperson Om Birla said: “We begin the journey of independent India in the old building, and when we are 75 years old, we will have the session of both Houses in the new Parliament building. … it will not be a building of bricks and stones, it will be the fulfillment of the dreams of 130 million people “.
The building, he said, will reflect the diversity and rich artistic culture of the country, and will be the best building in Parliament in terms of architecture, modernity and security.
“The current Parliament building is going to be 100 years old, and it is a source of pride for 130 million people in this country that the new one is built by our own people as an excellent example of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make his bhoomi pujan at 1 pm on December 10, “he said.
The president met with the prime minister on Saturday to officially invite him to the function.
In the new building, the Lok Sabha chamber will have 888 seats while there will be 384 seats in the Rajya Sabha chamber. Currently, Lok Sabha’s strength is 543 and Rajya Sabha’s 245.
During a joint session, the new chamber of Lok Sabha will be able to house 1,224 members. The new building will not have a Central Hall.
The building, which will be constructed on an area of 64,500 square meters at a cost of Rs 971 crore, will be earthquake resistant and adapted to the latest digital technology. It will incorporate indigenous architecture from different parts of the country and showcase cultural diversity.
The president said that around 2,000 people will directly participate in its construction, while another 9,000 will be there indirectly. More than 200 artists from various parts of the country will also work for the building.
An adjacent building, to be erected on the site of Shram Shakti Bhavan, will have rooms for all the deputies and will be connected through an underpass, the president said.
He said there will be more commission rooms and that all ministries will have offices. “Tata Projects Ltd received the contract for the project. The design has been prepared by HCP Design, Planning and Management Pvt Ltd, ”he said.
The existing Parliament building, the president said, will be preserved as an archaeological asset of the country.
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