Prime Minister Narendra Modi today laid the foundation stone for the new Parliament building, nearly a hundred years after the foundation for the existing Parliament was laid by the Duke of Connaught on February 12, 1921.
The new Parliament building is expected to be completed by 2022 at an estimated cost of Rs 971 crore. The construction of the existing Parliament, then known as the Council House, had taken nearly six years. The new one will take about two years and the government plans to hold the winter session of 2022 in the new building, coinciding with 75 years of independence.
However, no construction can immediately begin as various pleas against the project are pending before the Supreme Court. The event is been done today at 12:55 pm and the foundation stone is being laid at 1 pm, officials said.
In the new building, the Lok Sabha chamber will have 888 seats while there will be 384 seats in the Rajya Sabha chamber. Currently, the strength of Lok Sabha is 543 and that of Rajya Sabha 245. During a joint session, the new Lok Sabha chamber will be able to accommodate 1224 members. The building, which is going to come up in an area of 64,500 sq m at Rs 971 crore, will be earthquake-resistant, and adaptable to the most modern digital technology.
The existing Parliament building will be conserved as it is an archaeological asset of the country, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said.