The new parliament building, which is being constructed in the first phase of the Central Vista Redevelopment Plan, is almost ready. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a surprise visit to the new triangular parliament building and spent around an hour there.
PM Modi interacted with workers and inspected various works being carried out at the structure. He also visited the new Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha halls, which are almost ready, as per photographs posted by DD News.
The new Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha retain the green and red themes of the existing houses. Therefore, the carpets and upholstery of the new Lok Sabha are green and the same are red in the new Rajya Sabha.
While the existing parliament houses only have sitting arrangement for the members, barring the front two rows that have desks, the new houses has desk arrangements for every member of the house. The desks are equipped with various connectivity options that will make the work of the parliamentarians much easier.
The size of Lok Sabha is three times the size of old Lok Sabha, while the Rajya Sabha size is four times. Lok Sabha has a capacity of 876 seats, while the Rajya Sabha has 400 seats. Apart from the main halls, both houses also have offices and lounges. The existing parliament does not have any lounge, and the central hall is used for that purpose. There is no central hall in the new parliament, as the new Lok Sabha can accommodate members of the both houses for joint sessions.
Photographs show that work on the interiors of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are almost complete, including decorated walls, ceilings, carpets, lighting, main hall and visitor’s gallery etc. Hand-knotted carpets from Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh have been used in the parliament.
Apart from the two halls, PM Modi also inspected the Constitution Hall, public galleries, and other facilities coming up inside the parliament hall.
The Prime Minister had laid the foundation stone of the New Parliament Building in December 2020. He unveiled the National Emblem cast on the roof of the New Parliament Building in July last year. The National Emblem is made of bronze with a total weight of 9,500 kg and is 6.5 m in height.
The new parliament building is part of the larger Central Vista Development and Re-development Master Plan which includes the construction of a new Parliament building, redevelopment of Central Vista Avenue and construction of Common Central Secretariat Buildings by demolishing several existing buildings on both sides of Kartavya Path, formerly Rajpath.
Apart from 10 Common Central Secretariat Buildings, there will be a central conference centre and an expanded national archive. The plan also includes construction of new residences for the vice president and the prime minister in front of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, and a new Prime Minister’s office near the residence. The North Block and South Block buildings will be converted to public museums.
