New Parliament Building of India – Constructed
As part of India‘s Central Vista Redevelopment Project, a new parliament building is currently under construction in New Delhi. Once completed, it will be the seat of the Parliament of India. The parliament seat currently occupies Parliament House, located directly opposite the new building’s site. Proposals for a new parliament building to replace the existing complex emerged in the early 2010s. The proposal was on account of stability concerns with older structures. A committee to suggest several alternatives to the current building had set up by then-Speaker Mira Kumar in 2012. The present building, a 93-year-old structure, suffers from inadequacy of space to house members and their staff. And, It suffers from structural issues. Although, need to protect the heritage of the building.
Grand Opening of the New Parliament
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, 28th May 2023 inaugurated India’s new Parliament building and called it a symbol of the “aspirations” of 140 crore citizens and a vehicle that will drive India in the next 25 years towards its goal of becoming a “developed country” to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the nation’s Independence.
The inaugural ceremony was conducted in two phases. In the morning, Mr Modi — dressed in a dhoti and kurta and accompanied by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla — offered floral tributes to the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the premises. Then, amid Vedic chants by priests, he performed Ganapati homam. After prostrating before the Sengol, he sought blessings from the high priests of various adheenams in Tamil Nadu with the sceptre in hand. He then carried the Sengol in a procession to the new Parliament building, amid tunes of nadaswaram and chanting of Vedic mantras, and installed it in a special enclosure on the right side of the Speaker’s chair in the Lok Sabha chamber.
Old Parliament Building of India
The original structure of the Council House has now called the Parliament House and also known as Sansad Bhavan in Hindi. The Parliament House in New Delhi is the seat of the Parliament of India. At a distance of 750 meters from Rashtrapati Bhavan, which is located in Sansad Marg. It crosses the Central Vista, which accommodates the two houses of the bicameral parliament of India. One namely the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the parliament. And the other one, Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the parliament.
The British Architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker designed the building. And between the years 1921 and 1927, the construction has taken place. In January 1927, the building opened as the seat of the Imperial Legislative Council. Following the end of British rule in India, the Constituent Assembly took over the house. And then by the Indian Parliament once India’s Constitution came into force in 1950.
Design of the Structure of the Old Parliament
The perimeter of the building is circular, with 144 columns on the outside. At the centre of the building is the circular Central Chamber. Besides, the chamber does have surrounded by three semicircular halls. One of the halls does have constructed for the sessions of the Chamber of Princes. Now the chamber does use as the Library Hall. The next one, the State Council now used for the Rajya Sabha. The final, the Central Legislative Assembly now used for the Lok Sabha. The large gardens surround the building. The perimeter does have fenced off by sandstone railings (jali). Some sources speculate the Chausath Yogini temple in Morena inspired the building design. The current building does plan to convert into a Museum of Democracy after the new Parliament House is operational.
The Commencement of New Building Construction
The Indian government 2019 launched the Central Vista Redevelopment Project in New Delhi. The construction of a new parliament building is a part of the redevelopment. The project includes revamping Rajpath and other building constructions in Central Vista. The other buildings are the construction of a new residence for the Vice President. And a new office and residence for the Prime Minister. In addition, a single central secretariat building combines all ministerial buildings.
The ground-breaking ceremony for the new building had held in October 2020. Then, the foundation stone has laid on 10 December 2020. Thus, Justice A M Khanwilkar of the Supreme Court of India put a hold on Central Vista Redevelopment Project. Although, the laying of the foundation stone had allowed. Still, the resolution of pleas has received against the project in the court.
On 10 December 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the building. The ceremony included an interfaith prayer service performed by religious leaders. The project had cleared in a majority judgment of the Supreme Court in January 2021, with riders for environmental concerns and work on the building had begun.
Central Vista Redevelopment Project
The Council of Architecture (COA) is a constitutional body of the government of India to regulate the standard practice of architecture in India. COA set up a competition for the Central Vista Redevelopment project. It was conducted with a certain condition that India Gate be the tallest among all other buildings. In the Central Vista complex, the present India Gate monument not be modified.
The new Central Vista redevelopment project strengthens the grandeur of the iconic central vista complex. Further, along with grand new administrative buildings and public spaces. Thus, maintaining the heritage of the Indian nation. The new administrative building will be sustainable with modern upgraded facilities of cultural institutions. The architectural character of the heritage building will be protected. In addition, it will expand and improve with public spaces along the central vista axis. And, it revives the grandeur and quality of the geometry of the complex. Furthermore, enhancing the essential functions of the administrative buildings of the Indian government.
Architectural Design of the New Parliament
According to Bimal Patel, the architect in charge of the redesign of Central Vista, the new complex will have a triangular shape. It will be built next to the existing complex and will be slightly bigger than the former one. The building will have a life of more than 150 years. It is designed to be earthquake resistant and will incorporate architectural styles from different parts of India. The proposed chambers for the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha will have large seating capacities to accommodate more members than are currently present, since the number of MPs may increase with India’s growing population and consequent future delimitation.
The new complex will have 888 seats in the Lok Sabha chamber and 384 seats in the Rajya Sabha chamber. Unlike the present parliament building, it will not have a central hall and the Lok Sabha chamber itself will be able to house 1224 members in case of a joint session. The rest of the building will have 4 floors with offices of ministers and committee rooms. The building will have a built area of 20,866 square meters (excluding the open-sky area within the structure), which makes it 4,022 square meters (approximately 1 acre) more spacious than the existing circular structure of 16,844 square meters (diameter 170 meters) excluding its open area.
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