Time has come to have a new temple of Democracy for the Largest and Vibrant democracy
Date : 13/05/2024
The current parliament building is associated with a number of historical sentiments and memories. This is the place where The Central Legislative Assembly and Council of State functioned in 1921; at this place the British transferred power to India in 1947; the Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution of India at the Central Hall of the Parliament. The construction of the old parliament building started in 1921 and was commissioned in 1927. Old parliamentary building is encountering stability concerns such as ageing, distress and overutilization due to increased parliamentary activities, staff and footfalls over the years. Seating space for the existing members is extremely congested and not able to take part in the parliamentary sessions comfortably as it is evident in television channels. The constituency of Lok Sabha was fixed till 2001 in 1976 and further extended till 2026 and the next delimitation is nearing. Further, the reorganization of constituencies in the near future will increase the Lok Sabha seats and there is no space for new members. The crores of rupees are spent on maintenance and repair of the existing parliament building from time to time.
Image tweeted by @HardeepSPuri
Although, Parliament Annex and library building was constructed to create additional office space, it is not sufficient to meet the demands of work load. The proposal for new parliament building and revamping central vista is a decade old and the then speaker of Lok Sabha had set up the committee to look for alternatives. In October 2019, both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha passed a resolution for establishing the new parliament building without the record of dissent from any member. Considering the long standing structural and capacity issues of the current Parliamentary building, the Government of India launched the INR 20,000 crores Central Vista Redevelopment Project in 2019 consisting of new Parliament building, all ministerial offices, common central secretariat, new office and residence for the Prime Minister of India and a new vice president enclave. This also includes refurbishing government buildings along the Rajpath stretching from Rashtrapati Bhavan to the new War Memorial at India Gate. The proposed New Parliament Building will be constructed adjacent to the Old Parliament Building and foundation stone was laid on December 10, 2020 with interfaith prayer service or Sarva Dharma Prarthana performed by various religious leaders. It is expected to be completed by winter session 2022 to witness the grand celebration of India’s 75th Independence.
Image tweeted by @HardeepSPuri
Comparison of Old and New Parliament Building
| Particulars | Old Parliament Building | New Parliament Building |
| Area | 24281 sq m, 21 metres tall, 170 metres in diameter, four-storeyed structure. | 64,500 sq m, around 21 metres tall and more than 170 metres in width, four-storeyed structure. |
| Built Area | 16844 sq. m. | 20866 sq. m. |
| Year | 1921-1927 | 2020-2022 (Expected) |
| Lok Sabha Seating Capacity | 543 (maximum 552) members, 1145 sq m area | 888 members and can be extended up to 1272 members to host joint sessions, 3015 sq m area |
| Rajya Sabha Seating Capacity | 245 (maximum 250) members, 1232 sq m area | 384 members, 3220 sq m area |
| Seat dimensions and Desk | Width of 45 cm and height of 40 cm. No desk except for front two rows and movement is through front of the seat and is obstructed | Width of 60 cm and height of 40 cm.All rows are with desk and movement is through back of seat and is unobstructed |
| Additional Seating Capacity | Less than 800 members | 1272 members to host joint sessions |
| Budget | 83 lakhs INR | 971 crores INR |
| Construction material | Red Sandstone, Creamy Sandstone from Dholpur mines, Marble. | Red Sandstone, Creamy Sandstone from Dholpur mines of central India, Red Granite. |
| Construction Company | British Government | Tata Projects Ltd |
| Architect | British architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker (1912-1913) | Dr. Bimal Patel, HCP Design Planning and Management Pvt. Ltd, Ahmedabad, Gujarat (2020-2021) |
| Foundation stone laid | 12 February 1921 by H.R.H the Duke of Connaught | 10 December 2020 by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri. Narendra Modi |
| Inauguration | Governor-General Lord Irwin (Edward Frederick Lindley Wood) | Not Known Yet |
| Shape | Circular | Triangular |
| Lok Sabha Chamber Theme | Semi Circular | National Bird Peacock |
| Rajya Sabha Chamber Theme | Semi Circular | National Flower Lotus |
| Central Hall/ Central Lounge theme | Circular and the dome is 30 meters in diameter | National Tree Banyan |
| Architectural Design & Inspiration | Mix of ancient Indian tradition and modern amenities, resembles Chausath Yogini temple, Morena. There are around 30 statues and busts around the parliament building. Indian symbols such as Chhajjas and Jali are used for walls and windows. Wall of the corridor is decorated with Indian history and cultural aspects. | Sacred geometries in various religions and cultures of India. National emblem will crown the Parliament building. Mix of ancient Indian tradition and modern designs, architectural styles from different parts of India. Aesthetics from classical, folk and tribal arts and crafts of India, fresco paintings, carpet of traditional designs will bring in the spirit of diverse India. Concepts of cosmology, governance and governed are inculcated in the design. |
| Technology | Air-Conditioning, simultaneous interpretation, automatic vote recording, sound amplifying system, integrated microphone, analog systems etc. | Smart displays, biometrics for voting with an intuitive and graphical interface, digital language interpretation, recording infrastructure to produce real-time metadata, programmable microphones having control with speaker, air-conditioning, virtual sound simulations to set the right levels of reverberation sound and limit the echo, digital interface to create a paperless office, touch screen at each desk. |
| Inscriptions | Upanishads, Mahabharata, Manu Smriti, Arabic | Sacred inscriptions and shlokas from all the religions of India |
| Additional features | Circular building, with 144 columns on the outside and has 12 gates. At the centre of the building is the circular Central Chamber, and surrounding this Chamber are three semicircular halls: the Library Hall (erstwhile Chamber of Princes), the Rajya Sabha (erstwhile State Council), and the Lok Sabha (erstwhile Central Legislative Assembly. The building is surrounded by large gardens and the perimeter is fenced off by sandstone railings and the building has twelve gates. It was declared as Grade-I heritage property in 2009. | The central Constitution Hall and Gallery will showcase the Indian Constitution and other artefacts of India's heritage, symbolically and physically putting people at the heart of Indian democracy. Earthquake resistant with modern safety and security amenities. Eco-friendly buildings are expected to reduce energy consumption up to 30%. Museum grade galleries, fully accessible for disabled, very effective emergency evacuation provisions, high level of security and surveillance system. There is no central hall unlike the present parliament building. Ceremonial entrance for President and Prime minister; one for Lok-Sabha Speaker, Rajya-Sabha Chairman and MPs; and two for public entrances. |
| Amenities | The existing Parliament House Estate presently comprises the Sansad Bhawan (Parliament House), Reception Office Building, Sansadiya Soudha (Parliament House Annexe), Extension to Parliament House Annexe and Sansadiya Gyanpeeth (Parliament Library Building) surrounded by extensive lawns, artificial ponds, committee rooms, office spaces, research and reference division, computer centre, media centre, press briefing room, bureau of parliamentary studies and training, audio-visual library, parliamentary museum and archives, auditorium, banquet hall, café and parking facility. | Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and Courtyard will be at the three vertices of the triangular shape of the parliament building. There will be around 120 offices and 6 entrances. Central part of the building is termed as sanctum sanctorum and will be having constitution hall, public gallery, constitution gallery. Lounge for each house, committee rooms, conference hall, ministerial offices, banquet hall, media centre, press briefing room, audio-visual library, auditorium, adequate parking facility. A central courtyard will be the open meeting space for MPs along with a cafe. Comfortable seating, desks and highly efficient audio-visual equipment for each seat. |
Image Credit: Wikipedia
As per the architect, the triangular shape of the new parliament building is much adaptable to the available space and will meet the functional requirements, efficient space utilization and has increased facilities and it respects the heritage of existing architecture. Also the triangle is part of all sorts of sacred geometries and faith. The elements and essence from the old architecture is adapted to the new parliament building to ensure coherence in design. The legislative structures of major democracies such as the USA, France, Australia, England, Canada, Japan and others have never compromised with the quality and amenities. The new parliament building will set the high structural standards for legislative structures and stand as the symbol of New India.
The life of the new parliament building is expected to last more than 150 years with 150% seating capacity increment. Government is also working on creating a Common Secretariat for all Ministries along the central vista, which is currently spread across 47 buildings creating a 3.8 lakh sq.m of office space shortfall. The central vista project generates more than 10000 job opportunities directly and indirectly, and more than 200 artists across the country contribute to these magnificent buildings. Under this project, each MP will get 40 sq.m office space in renovated Shram Shakti Bhawan which will have underground transit connectivity to parliament house. The present parliament building will be renovated and refurbished as per the standards of heritage conservation and planned to be converted to a grand Museum of Democracy once the new parliament building is completed. Both the buildings will be used in conjunction and the future Legislative enclave will consist of the new Parliament building, old Parliament building, Library, Annexe and MP’s chambers.
Cost comparison of new Parliament against major project
|
Project |
Cost (INR in crores) |
% cost of New Parliament (971 crores) |
|
Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor |
90000 |
1.07% |
|
Sagar Mala |
6,00,000 |
0.161% |
|
Diamond Quadrilateral |
2,00,000 |
0.485% |
|
Navi Mumbai International Airport |
16,000 |
6.06% |
|
Chenab Bridge |
1,110 |
87.4% |
|
Dhola-Sadiya Bridge |
2056 |
47.22% |
|
Chenani-Nashri Tunnel |
3720 |
26.10% |
Mega projects such as these are much needed for the emerging India and to reach the target of 5 trillion US dollar economy. These projects generate huge livelihood opportunities and help in reviving the economy. The New Parliament Building is just a small fraction of these mega projects, yet it is of national importance. Moreover these ongoing projects are providing employment opportunities to lakhs of youth and migrant workers during this pandemic and contributing to overcome these difficult times. Similarly the cost comparison of new parliament against the budget allocation to prominent sectors and programs indicate that cost incurred to construct the new parliament is comparatively very minimal and even less than 1.5%. This project is not depriving the allocations made to prominent sectors of the economy such as health, education, agriculture and farmers welfare, subsidies, defence, MGNREGS, rural development, etc in any way. Further it is high time to have a highly efficient structure for the largest democracy of the world.
Cost comparison of new Parliament against budget particulars
|
Particulars |
Budget (INR in crores) 2021-22 |
% cost of New Parliament (971 crores) |
|
Health and Family Welfare |
2,23,846 |
0.433% |
|
Education |
93,224 |
1.041% |
|
Subsidies (food, fertilizer, petroleum, others) |
3,69,899 |
0.262% |
|
Defence |
4,78,196 |
0.203% |
|
Rural Development |
1,33,690 |
0.726% |
|
Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare |
1,31,531 |
0.738% |
|
Jal Shakti |
69,053 |
1.406% |
|
Road Transport and Highways |
1,18,101 |
0.822% |
|
MGNREGS |
73,000 |
1.33% |
Concerns
Like any other ambitious project, even the new Parliament is not free of criticisms and concerns. This includes environmental, ecological, archeological, heritage, cultural, temporal, spatial and economical concerns. The Hon’ble Supreme Court has given green signal to this project with majority judgment regarding environmental concerns. In terms of economic and cost concerns, the new parliament takes just a fraction of cost compared to mega projects running across the country. In fact, the new parliament building and central vista project saves hundreds of crores every year as maintenance and rent expenses. The architectural design and materials of the new building are in coherence with the old parliament building keeping archeological and heritage nature intact. The time required for construction of the building is very important because this new structure is expected to witness generations to come. Even if the completion is delayed, it should not be compromised with the quality and stability of the building. With the help of technology, heavy machinery, personnel and rigorous planning, the time constraint is expected to be taken care of. Various cultural and religious features of India will be incorporated in the new parliament reflecting the diverse nature of the country. For the available space, efficient planning and all functional requirements are incorporated to provide necessary facilities adhering to the quality.
Conclusion
Time has come to have a new temple of democracy for the largest and vibrant democracy that reflects the aspirations of 130 crore people. There is no doubt that this structure will be an iconic building having all modern amenities with the socio-cultural theme. With this new parliament, the expectations of Indian people will also raise for the quality of democracy. It is not just the building which makes the democracy live and efficient, but it is the people inside who represent millions of people make it happen. The benefits of this project are manifold for the cost incurred and open up a new window of opportunities. From the design and proposal, it is evident that the region in and around the legislative enclave will be more pleasant, green and environment friendly. The New Indian Parliament is an investment of National Importance and the 75th independence will be cherished for the mark of New India.
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Indian_parliament_building
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_House_(India)
https://prsindia.org/budgets/parliament/union-budget-2021-22-analysis
https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/central-vista-redevelopment-project
https://www.enr.com/articles/51209-new-parliament-building-rises-in-india
https://www.makaan.com/iq/living/what-makes-our-parliament-an-iconic-building
https://parliamentofindia.nic.in/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Grz-aAEOeKU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX3d5RO8H1M
Image Credits: Image tweeted by @HardeepSPuri
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