New Parliament building to miss deadline, likely to be ready by Budget session next year
According to reports, the new Lok Sabha hall will have the seating capacity for 770 members. It will accommodate up to 1,134 for hosting joint sessions. The Rajya Sabha hall will have a capacity of 384 seats.
FollowSenior officials have said that the new Parliament building, which was expected to be completed by November this year, may not be ready in time for the Winter session. It is reportedly said that most works will be completed by December-end. This indicates that the new building should be ready before the Budget session next year.
The report further said while some works may stretch up to March, "everything will be in place" for the joint sitting of the Parliament in January-end.
On December 10, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the new Parliament. The building was originally scheduled for completion before the last Monsoon session. Due to Covid-19 restrictions and a court case, the deadline was extended to November.
With just one month and a lot of work left for the completion, no fresh deadline has been announced beyond this November. Officials said completing such a complex building in two years is a "very tough" task.
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The new "smart" building, being constructed under the Central Vista redevelopment plan, will replace the existing colonial structure which completed a hundred years in 2021.
According to reports, the new Lok Sabha hall will have the seating capacity for 770 members. It will accommodate up to 1,134 for hosting joint sessions. The Rajya Sabha hall will have a capacity of 384 seats.
Both the Houses will be equipped with digital interface systems. The building will have committee rooms, offices of ministers, leaders and opposition leaders of both the Houses and lounge.
In a statement by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), it said, "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."
