Construction Week | Construction of new Parliament building to start in December

Oct 26,2020

The construction of the new Parliament building will commence from December this year and is likely to be completed by October 2022, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said on Friday.

The timeline regarding the construction of the building was disclosed during a review meeting chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and was attended by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing & Urban Affair Hardeep Singh Puri and senior officials.

It was also informed that the existing Parliament building will be suitably retro-fitted “to provide more functional spaces for parliamentary events, to ensure its usage along with the new building”.

“During the meeting, Shri Birla was informed that the construction of the new Building will commence in December 2020 and is likely to be completed by October 2022,” the Lok Sabha Secretariat said in a statement.

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, the statement said. It was decided to constitute a monitoring committee to oversee the day-to-day execution of the construction work of the new building.

“The Monitoring Committee will include, among others, officers of Lok Sabha Secretariat, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, CPWD, NDMC and architect/designer of the project,” said the statement.

Birla stressed on the smooth coordination and resolving issues between various agencies involved on a regular basis. He emphasised that there should be no compromise in ensuring quality-control and timely completion of the work, said the statement.

The statement said that the new building will have separate offices for MPs. Besides, each seat for members in the chambers will be “comfortable” (with blocks of two seats) and equipped with digital interfaces, “which will be a step forward towards a paperless office”.

It said that besides the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Chambers, the new building will have a grand ‘Constitution Hall’, which will house, among other things, the original copy of the Constitution and digital displays for showcasing India’s democratic heritage, said the statement.

The new building will also have a MP’s lounge, a library, six committee rooms, dining areas and parking space, the statement added.

It said that visitors will be given access to the hall “to help them to appreciate and understand India’s journey as a parliamentary democracy”.

“The barricading plan and the various mitigating measures to control the air and noise pollution during the construction process were elaborated. The officers of the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs further briefed Shri Birla about the proposed movement plan of VIPs and staff during this period, including during the Parliament Sessions, it said.