Central Vista: Tata Projects Ltd. begins construction work of New Parliament Building

Umamageswari Maruthappan

The construction work of the new Parliament building started on 15^th January 2021. The same is expected to be completed by 15^th August 2022 that marks the 75^th Anniversary of India’s Independence.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for this ambitious Central Vista project on 10^th December 2020.

The Tata Projects Limited, a leading Construction Company, has undertaken the construction work. The cost is estimated to be about 971 Crore Rupees.

The Supreme Court cleared the pending legal challenges against the project and gave its nod on 5^th January 2021.

The Court further asked the Government to seek approval from relevant authorities including the Heritage panel before starting with the construction work.

Accordingly, the Centre approached the Heritage Conservation Committee (HCC) for its green signal. The Heritage panel consisting of 14 members gave its approval on 11^th January 2021.

After all clearances, the Central Government decided to go ahead with the project and decided to begin the development work on 15^th January 2021.

The new building will be adjoining the old Parliament building which was constructed during the 1920s. Post-construction, the old building will be replaced by the new one for conducting parliamentary proceedings and the former will be turned into a museum.

Some of the key facts of the New Parliament Building:

1. The Building will have a triangular shape.
2. It is expected to accommodate around 1224 members of Parliament, 888 in the Lok Sabha and 384 in the Rajya Sabha.
3. An additional capacity of up to 1272 seats to hold joint sittings.
4. The complex would cover 64,500 sq. m. and will also have underground transit connectivity.
5. It will also establish a grand Constitution Hall.
6. The plan also includes furniture for smart displays and biometrics for ease of voting, digital language interpretation among other facilities.
7. It will also have programmable microphones to ensure better management of the sessions by the Speaker.

The redevelopment of the Central Vista, which extends from Rashtrapati Bhavan to the India Gate, is expected to include, the new Parliament Building, a common Central Secretariat, revamping of the 3-km Rajpath, a new Prime Minister’s Residence, and Prime Minister’s Office, and a new Vice-President Enclave.