The New Parliament House, built alongside the Old Parliament House, was inaugurated on 28 May 2023. Prime Minister Narendra Modi did the inauguration of the New Parliament House. The famous Architect Mr Bimal Patel designed it. It has been built in a triangular shape for the reason of the availability of a triangular shape plot. A 16-foot-tall bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi, which was originally placed at the main entrance of the Old Parliament House in 1993, has been relocated between the old and new buildings. The renowned sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar created the statue and is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan Award.
Was there any need for a new Building–
When people got to know that the new Parliament House is about to be inaugurated then a lot of people opposed it. Although the grounds of opposition were different some opposed it because it took a lot of money to build it, and some opposed it because it was inaugurated by the Prime Minister instead of the President. There were also a lot of people who were celebrating the occasion of the inauguration because they were taking the new Building as Made in India. Apart from these, there were many reasons why it was required to build a new Parliament Building these are as follows:
- The old Parliament Building was designed for Imperial Legislative Council, It was never designed to accommodate the bicameral legislature.
- The number of seats in Lok Sabha was frozen to 545 in the year 1971 but after 2026 the freezer will be lifted. The old Parliament House Building will not be able to afford the increased number of seats.
- With time, the instalment of services like air conditioning, water supply, security cameras, sewage lines, etc led to water seepage issues which were impacting the building.
- The workspace for employees was not adequate, several service corridors were converted into offices which were increasing with time.
Key features of the New Parliament House Building-
There were many safety issues with the old Parliament House Building. Be it fire safety, availability of space, water seepage or other security or safety issues there was the need for a new Parliament House Building. The new Building has been constructed keeping in view the present and future needs. The key features of the New Building are:
- The new building has been built using Green Construction Techniques as a result of which it is supposed to reduce electricity consumption by 30%, compared to the old one.
- Environment-friendly mechanisms such as Rainwater-harvesting and water-recycling systems have been included. It has been designed in such a way that it would be more space efficient and it is meant to function for the next 150 years.
- The new Parliament Building is earthquake safe and Delhi is in Seismic Zone IV.
- The theme of the new Loksabha Chamber is based on the feather of our national bird Peacock. The Rajyasabha Chamber is based on the Lotus theme.
- The new building can accommodate 888 Loksabha Members which can be extended up to 1272 Members. The Rajyasabha chamber can accommodate 384 Members.
- A golden sceptre (Sengol) was given to Jawaharlal Nehru by Priests from Tamil Nadu on the eve of Independence to mark the transfer of power from the British. It has now been placed beside Loksabha Speakers’ Podium.
Reference– Central Vista, Drishtiias
