PM Makes Surprise Night Visit At New Parliament Building Construction Site

Photos courtesy: India Today

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an unannounced visit to the construction site of the new Parliament building on Sunday night at around 8:45 pm.

He spent almost an hour at the site of the proposed Central Vista project and carried out a first-hand inspection of the construction status of the new Parliament building, India Today reported.

The PM had laid the foundation stone of the new Parliament building, which will have an area of 64,500 square metres on December 10, 2020.  The December 2022 session is expected to be held under the new roof, as per plans.

The estimated cost of construction of the Parliament building is Rs 971 crore. This includes everything from construction to safety equipment and all other features, the report added.

The new Lok Sabha will have seating space for 888 MPs, and the Rajya Sabha, for 384 MPs. There will be space for additional seating (to be brought in) as well—the new Parliament building will be able to accommodate 1,382 people in the Lok Sabha. MPs will be able to sit there during the President’s address or during joint sessions of Parliament.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla told India Today that the foundation stone of the existing Parliament building was laid in 1921, and it was constructed in 1927, making it almost 100 years old.