New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today attended the foundation stone laying ceremony to formally launch the construction of a new Parliament building in New Delhi.
The event was attended by leaders from various political parties, cabinet Ministers and ambassadors of different countries.
However, the work cannot begin immediately after the ceremony as various pleas against the project are pending before the Supreme Court.
The government on Monday assured the Supreme Court that it would not carry out any construction, demolition or felling of trees in the Central Vista area for now.
In the new building, the Lok Sabha chamber will have 888 seats while there will be 384 seats in the Rajya Sabha chamber. Currently, the strength of Lok Sabha is 543 and that of Rajya Sabha 245.
During a joint session, the new Lok Sabha chamber will be able to accommodate 1224 members. The new building will not have a Central Hall. The building, which is going to come up in an area of 64,500 sq m at a cost of Rs 971 crore, will be earthquake-resistant, and adaptable to the most modern digital technology. It will incorporate indigenous architecture from different parts of the country, and showcase cultural diversity.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had earlier said, “The existing temple of democracy is completing 100 years… It is a matter of pride for our countrymen that the new one will be built by our own people as a prime example of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.”
“The new building will showcase the cultural diversity of the country. Hopefully, in the 75th year of Independence (2022), Parliament session will be held in the new building,” he said.
The existing Parliament building will be conserved as it is an archaeological asset of the country, Birla said.
Opposition parties and former civil servants have severely criticised the Narendra Modi government for not cutting down on “luxuries” like the Central Vista project amid the coronavirus crisis. The Rs 20,000-crore venture aims to build a new Parliament and other central government offices in Lutyens’ Delhi. The government has justified its decision to build a new Parliament building, saying that the current one was ‘showing signs of distress and over-use’.