Context: The Central Vista Project sets out to build a new Parliament and other Central Government offices in Lutyens Delhi. 

• The New Parliament Building, to be built by Tata Projects Ltd., would be constructed next to the current structure during a 22-month period and have a built-up size of 64,500 square meters across four stories. The new structure would feature contributions from artists and sculptors from all around the nation, showing the diversity and elevating it to the status of a “Atmanirbhar Bharat” symbol.

Background

• From Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate, the New Parliament Building or Central Vista Project is in place. It consists of the Rajpath plots of land immediately adjacent to North Block, South Block, the Parliament building, and other secretariat buildings for the central government. 

• King George V announced in the Delhi Durbar (a large assembly) in December 1911 that Delhi would replace Calcutta as the capital of India. In celebration of King George V’s coronation, Delhi Durbar was held.

• Edwin Lutyens, who was well-known for his unwavering devotion to European Classicism, and Herbert Baker, a well-known architect in South Africa, were tasked with building a new metropolis. Additionally, Herbert Baker designed the Union buildings in Pretoria, South Africa. 

• Baker and Lutyens both contributed to the design of Parliament House. The Chausath Yogini Mandir in Madhya Pradesh served as the model for the Indian Parliament’s architecture. 

• Edwin Lutyens was the designer of Rashtrapati Bhavan. Herbert Baker created The Secretariat, which consists of both the north and south blocks.

New Parliament Building Objective

• The New Parliament Building Plan is put forth to accommodate the Parliament, Ministries, and Departments’ current and future space requirements, as well as to offer better public amenities, parking facilities, and other things. 

• The planned redevelopment project is motivated by concerns over fire safety, acoustics, and the deteriorated state of the century-old building.

• By July 2022, a new Parliament building will be constructed, and by March 2024, a shared Central Secretariat will be established. 

• The strength of the parliament is anticipated to expand from 545 MPs to 900 seats after this project is finished. The initiative also aims to enhance Central vista’s beauty to turn it into a top-tier tourism destination.

New Parliament Building Feature

• The new parliament will be crowned with the national anthem, and its ceiling will feature traditional-style carpeting and fresco paintings similar to those in Rashtrapati Bhawan. 

• In order to preserve some of the qualities of the current parliament, shlokas will be written on the interior walls. 

• As with the current structure, Dholpur stone will serve as the main building material. Red granite might take the place of red sandstone in various interior spaces. Construction will be done with extra care to minimise disruption and protect the environment.

• The Lok Sabha will have a seating arrangement of 888 members in the new Parliament House. India currently has 543 seats in the Lok Sabha. 

• Similarly, the Rajya Sabha, which currently has 245 seats in the new Parliament House, will be able to accommodate 384 members. 

• The room designated for it will have seats for 1,272 people when a joint assembly of the two chambers is called at the new Parliament House. 

• Right now, there are just 430 seats available in the Centre Hall where the two Houses convene jointly.

• In preparation for a larger Parliament, the new Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha chambers will have more seating (888 and 384 seats, respectively); a 25-year moratorium on raising the state-by-state distribution of seats expires in 2026.

• The new Parliament complex is also ‘divyang-friendly’.

• With a focus on energy efficiency, the new complex is a “platinum-rated green building” and showcases India’s “commitment towards sustainable development. It will feature rainwater harvesting and water recycling systems.

New Parliament Building Sengol

• ‘Sengol’, a historical sceptre from Tamil Nadu, which was received by India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru to represent the transfer of power from the British and was kept in a museum in Allahabad, will be installed in the New Parliament Building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28.

New Parliament Building Architect

• The new Parliament House was created by Ahmedabad-based HCP Design, Planning and Management, which is managed by architect Bimal Patel. The current Parliament House, a colonial-era structure, was created by British architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker.

Road Ahead

• The inauguration of a new Parliament building presents an opportunity to seriously introspect on our parliamentary conduct to make Parliament more efficient and productive.

• The trend of increasing disruptions and deadlock is antithetical to the demand for politics for complex governance challenges of our time.

• It would work as a lighthouse to guide us in our ambitious journey to build ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat.’