New Parliament Building: Supreme Court Bars Construction Or Demolition Work For Now

New Delhi: The Supreme Court said on Monday that no construction, demolition work or felling of trees will take place at the Central Vista project site where a new Parliament building is to come up. Such direction will remain in force till the apex court decides on a bunch of petitions which have been filed, opposing the Central Vista project.

The court, however, refused to stay the foundation-laying ceremony — to be performed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 10 — after the Centre gave the assurance that there will be no construction or demolition work for the project till the apex court passes an order on the matter, Times Now reported.

The Supreme Court bench granted just five minutes’ time to the Centre to apprise it of the government’s thought process on the Central Vista project.

As per the Centre’s plan, the new Parliament building will be ready by 2022 at an estimated cost of Rs 971 crore.

It will be earthquake resistant and will accommodate 1,224 MPs at a time for joint sessions, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had informed. Once the new Parliament building is ready, the present building will be conserved as an archaeological asset of the country.