PM Modi to lay foundation of new Parliament building: 10 things you need to know

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of the new Parliament building today at an event which will be attended by leaders from various political parties. PM Modi will also perform the ground-breaking ceremony for the building, which is expected to be completed by 2022 at an estimated cost of ₹971 crore. The function will be attended by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Pralhad Venkatesh Joshi, Hardeep S. Puri, Harivansh Narayan Singh. The new building is an intrinsic part of the vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and will be a landmark opportunity to build peoples’ Parliament for the first time after independence, one which will match the needs and aspirations of ‘New India’ in the 75th anniversary of independence in 2022.

Here is all you need to know about the new Parliament building:

1) The event will begin at 12:55 pm and the foundation stone will be laid at 1 pm, officials said. PM Modi will deliver his address on the occasion at 2.15 pm.

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2) The new Parliament building will be modern, state-of-the-art and energy efficient, with highly non-obtrusive security facilities to be built as a triangular shaped building, adjacent to the present Parliament.

3) The new building will have an area of 64,500 square metres.

4) The new Parliament building will also have a grand Constitution Hall to showcase India's democratic heritage, a lounge for members of Parliament, a library, multiple committee rooms, dining areas and ample parking space.

5) New Parliament building will have high quality acoustics and audio-visual facilities, improved and comfortable seating arrangements, effective and inclusive emergency evacuation provisions. The building will comply with the highest structural safety standards, including adherence to Seismic Zone 5 requirements and is designed for ease of maintenance and operations.

6) In the new building, the Lok Sabha chamber will have a seating capacity for 888 members, while Rajya Sabha will have 384 seats for members. The Lok Sabha chamber will have an option to increase its sitting capacity to 1,224 members during joint sessions.

7) This has been done keeping in mind the future increase in the number of members for the two houses.

8) In September this year, Tata Projects Limited won the bid to construct the new Parliament building. The new building will be constructed close to the existing one under the Central Vista redevelopment project.

9) The existing building is a British-era structure, designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker who were responsible for planning and construction of New Delhi.

10) The foundation stone of the existing Parliament House was laid on February 12, 1921 and the construction took six years and cost ₹83 lakh at that time. The opening ceremony was performed on January 18, 1927 by the then Governor-General of India, Lord Irwin.