The world’s largest democracy is called the temple in India. This is where the future of the country takes shape. The current Parliament House is 100 years old. Since its construction, it has been repaired and rebuilt according to the need. The issue is that it is no longer possible to increase the sitting capacity in the old seating structure, nor is it possible that technology and infrastructure can be improved.
In such a situation, the new Parliament House is needed for 21st-century India and it is being prepared in the same manner. It is being made according to the needs of the coming times. In this, environmental protection has been taken into consideration, then there is a confluence of the heritage of India along with modernity.
In the Central Vista Project, other offices of the Central Government are being constructed along with the new Parliament House in Lutyens Delhi. It is believed that this new Parliament House will emerge as a brilliant example of architecture that competes with colonial time and colonial time monuments.
Lutyens Delhi will be seen new after 91 years
It is necessary to know the Central Vista before knowing the Central Vista Project. In fact, there are important buildings like Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House, North and South Block, India Gate, and National Archives in the Central Vista area, spreading 3.2 km in Delhi. All these prestigious buildings were built before 1931. Now the Government of India is rejuvenating this area under the Central Vista redevelopment project and giving it new collections.
This project work extends from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate. This includes North Block, South Block, Parliament House, and other central government secretariat buildings and Rajpath as well as all the plots around them. The most important of these is the new Parliament House which is being built near the current Parliament House.
Actually, it is also necessary to know the background behind why the need for the redevelopment of Central Vista. In fact, on December 12, 1911, King George Fifth announced to transfer of the capital of India from Calcutta to Delhi in a grand meeting of Delhi Durbar. This opportunity was from the coronation of King George Fifth.
The construction of this new capital was given to Edwin Lutyens, who promoted the European elite. He was also accompanied by Herbert Baker, a prominent architect from South Africa in this work. Rashtrapati Bhavan was designed by Edwin Lutyens. The secretariat, which includes both the North and South Block, was designed by Herbert Baker.
Together these two designed the building of the existing Parliament House and then it was called Council House. After deliberations about the size of the Parliament Building, the two architects finalized a spherical shape for the Council House because of the colosseum design.
At the same time, it is also believed that the Chausath Yogini temple in Madhya Pradesh is the temple that inspired the design of the current Indian Parliament. However, there is no historical evidence of this. Now the new Parliament House is getting ready to create a new history by taking a new look at the Central Vista redevelopment project.
The reality and crop of the project
The Central Vista redevelopment project is under the supervision of the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry. This includes a new Triangle Parliament House, a Common Central Secretariat, and the 3-km-long Rajpath from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate, including the new residence of the Prime Minister and the Vice President.
This project has been brought to provide better public facilities along with meeting the current and future needs of ministries and departments. The objective of this project is to increase the beauty of Central Vista and make it the center of attraction for world-class tourists.
In this, an 87-story building will be built in a Common Central Secretariat to accommodate the offices of different ministries. For its design, CPWD on 18 October 2019, Messrs HCP Design, Planning and Management Pvt. Limited was given consultant work.
Now, this firm is working on the development of the master plan of the Central Vista region and the design of the buildings according to the new needs. The estimated cost of this project has been estimated at Rs 20,000 crore. Under this, all planned development and redevelopment works are to be done.
Protests on the project also
The government has also faced criticism on the Central Vista redevelopment project. Critics of this project appealed to the Supreme Court to cancel this project. Critics said that the amount spent on this project can be spent for the welfare of the people. However, in January 2021, the Supreme Court approved the government to work on this renewal project.
The construction of the new Parliament House was also approved. Significantly, the Delhi High Court also dismissed a petition against the ongoing construction activities of the Central Vista redevelopment project on 31 May 2021 and the court called the public interest petition an illegal purpose to stop the construction work.
The opposition government has been attacking the project. The opposition alleged that Rs 20,000 crore was being spent on the project during the Covid-19 epidemic. In response, the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said that a redevelopment plan was made in 2019 only in 2019, several months before the epidemic came.
The government also made it clear that it is a basic infrastructure investment project at one year, which includes working on several projects in the coming 6 years.
The government also said that Rs 35,000 crore of annual allocation has been allocated as a lump sum for the COVID-19 vaccination, which is much higher than the cost of the Central Vista redevelopment project. In this way, for the financial year 2021-22, there is a lump sum for vaccination, which is expected to be completed by 2026, 175 percent more than the total budget for the Central Vista project.
This project was also held accountable for cutting trees and damaging the environment. The government has made it clear that environmental stability is the basis of the Central Vista project regarding the contribution of the project. The government says that this project will increase the green cover. NTPC will be transplanted after approval from competent authorities being developed in Badarpur of NTPC for the protection of the environment. Along with this, steps are being taken to reduce air emissions, noise, wastewater discharge, soil erosion as well as construction waste on the Central Vista site.
It is worth noting that on 4 April 2022, on the uprooting of trees in the Central Vista Project, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Minister of State for Urban Affairs, Kaushal Kishore said that no trees have been cut in various projects under Central Vista. Under the development and redevelopment master plan, 1051 saplings have been planted so far in other places.
The ministry also promised that no inheritance building – India Gate, Parliament, North and South Block, National Archives, or any other construction would be demolished. These heritage buildings retain the grandeur of their architecture. However, due to being very old, they have become weak, and they need upgradation.
Therefore, the heritage building which falls under the scope of the Central Vista Development and Redevelopment Project will be appropriately renewed for retrofit and future use according to the conservation standards of the heritage.
Central Vista so far
According to the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, till September 2021, the work of redevelopment of Central Vista Avenue costing 862 crores and 477 crores has been assigned for two new projects of the new Parliament House and this work is ongoing. By March 2021, 195 crore rupees were spent on both these projects.
A budget of 790 crores was kept in 2021-22 for this project. It is being said that the actual cost of other projects as part of the Central Vista Development and Redevelopment Master Plan will be known after preparing a detailed project report for each one.
In a reply given in December 2021 on the Central Vista Re-Development Project in the Lok Sabha, it was said that there are only 4 projects under the Central Vista Development and Re-Development Master Plan.
Among them, the redevelopment of the new Parliament House, the redevelopment of Central Vista Avenue, Building 1, 2, 3, and Vice Presidential Housing are being constructed under the Common Central Secretariat.
The estimated cost for the new Parliament House has been kept at Rs 971 crore, out of which Rs 340.58 crore has been spent. The time till October 2022 was fixed to complete this. According to this reply, 35 percent of the work has been completed.
On the other hand, an estimated cost of Rs 608 crore has been fixed by Central Vista Re-Development Avenue. Out of this, Rs 190.76 crore has been spent. It was targeted to be completed in December 2021. According to the information given in the Lok Sabha on 2 December 2021, then 60 percent of its work was shown.
An estimated cost of Rs 3,690 crore was kept for Common Central Secretariat Building -1,2 and 3. Out of this, Rs 7.85 crore has been spent. The estimated time to complete this work is November 2023.
For this, the mobilization of resources and preparations on the site is in progress. On the other hand, the estimated cost of construction of Vice President housing is Rs 208.48 crore, out of which Rs 15 crore has been spent.
The estimated time to complete it has been kept on November 2022. Preparations are also in progress for Vice President’s housing construction. In the current financial year, Rs 1,289 crore has been allocated for the development and redevelopment works of Central Vista in 2021-22.
According to Jankari, the ongoing work in Central Vista has given employment to the people directly. Under this, more than 10,000 efficient, semi-skilled, and unskilled workers are given more than 24.12 lakh work on the site and off-site for employment.
It is believed that the development and redevelopment work of Central Vista will contribute to the economy of the country and will help in realizing the resolve of a self-sufficient India. Architects also have an important role in completing the Central Vista project.
Grand projects
Bimal Patel is considered to be the architect of the grand projects of the Modi government and the responsibility of the Central Vista project is also on his shoulders. Patel is a graduate from CEPT Ahmedabad, and California University, Berkeley.
He completed the doctoral thesis under Marxist Geography Richard Walker. Patel was never distracted by the tag of “Modi’s architect”. Bimal Patel has been associated with PM Modi for more than two decades as an architect, designer, and urban planner.
There is no doubt that the Central Vista redevelopment project, which started in December 2020, has proved to be a milestone. This was the reason that PM Narendra Modi’s inauguration of Central Vista Avenue was Bimal Patel’s victory because his critics also considered his work iron.
When Central Vista Avenue was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 September 2022 after more than a year. So in the year 2019, another achievement was added to Padma Shri-honored Bimal Patel.
During this time, the PM also unveiled a 2 -km ‘duty path’ from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate and a statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. This Avenue is so grand that Bimal Patel’s work was forced to praise him as well as his opponents.
A target has been set to complete this project by the year 2024 and all this is going on under the leadership of Vastor Dr. Patel. 61-year-old Patel’s Ahmedabad-based company HCP Design, Planning and Management Private Limited now has no time to look back.
Now he is working on the next stages of its other project. Among them, the new Parliament House and the Central Secretariat Building in Delhi are being built on both sides of the changed duty path. Regarding the Central Vista project, Patel The Sunday Express says, “I may be the face of design attempts on Central Vista, but there is a big team that meets such a project together.”
Apart from this, Patel thanks the Prime Minister’s indomitable desire, CPWD (technically his customer), the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and contractor Shapurji Palan Ji. He says that ever since his firm won the design competition for the Central Vista project, Patel has been facing a storm of protests.
Actually, this project is being seen as Modi’s arrogant project, his way of eradicating the past and his autocratic power displaying his personal seal on Delhi. Those who work with Patel say that this is Patel’s biggest strength to join the opponents and trying for consensus.
When the Center dismissed the opposition to the Central Vista project as impressed by the “Khan Market Gang”, Patel held meetings with architects, historians, public intellectuals, media, and students in Delhi and later held lower on the site. Conducted tours for less than 50 different people. Patel also announced that there will not be a single question that he will not take on the project.
It is not clear how many people he managed to persuade, but he was one of his most vocal critics, Pradeep Kishan, who was among the petitioners against the project in the Supreme Court, played the role of a consultant on those trees. Consistent, which should be placed in the lawn of Central Vista.
It is worth noting that there has been no such debate on any other project recently. The biggest challenge so far is the creation of the new Parliament House for Patel, who has implemented projects such as Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad, Entrepreneurship Development Institute, Gujarat High Court, the new campus, and the Sabarmati Riverfront Project.
The New Parliament House needs
The power of the Indian democratic system is seen in our Parliament. When the current Parliament House became a witness to the defeat of colonial rule, it saw many historical events decreasing in front of them. The current building worked as the first Parliament of independent India after the Indian freedom struggle and witnessed the adoption of the Constitution of India. Because of this, the protection and rejuvenation of the rich heritage of Parliament House is a matter of national importance.
The Parliament House is at the center of Central Vista, a symbol of India’s democratic spirit. The current Parliament of the country is the building of the colonial era. Its construction was started in 1921 and it was ready in 1927. It is about 100 years old and is a heritage grade-I building. In 1956, two floors were added to meet the demand for more space.
In 2006, the Parliament Museum was added to show India’s 2,500 years of rich democratic heritage. In the last few years, the number of parliamentary activities and people working in it has increased manifold. There is no record or document of the original design of the building. Therefore, new constructions and amendments were made in a special way.
For example, two new floors built-in 1956 above the outer circular part of the building hid the dome of the Central Hall and replaced the front part of the original building. In addition, the mesh windows cover has reduced the natural light in the hall of the two houses of Parliament. Therefore, the marks of extremely high use of this building are now visible on this. According to places, facilities, and technology, this building is not able to meet the current needs.
It is also going to think that the existing Parliament House was not designed to a bicwable legislature for a complete democracy. The number of Lok Sabha seats on the basis of delimitation based on the 1971 census remains at 545. It is likely to increase significantly after 2026, as the total number of seats is banned till 2026.
The seating system is tight and cumbersome, there is no desk ahead of the second line. The Central Hall has only 440 persons seating capacity. When there are joint sessions, the problem of limited seat increases. It is also a major security risk due to a limited place for movement. Due to this, the new Parliament House is strongly needed.
What will be the temple of the new democracy?
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the new building of Parliament on 10 December 2020. It was targeted to complete its construction in 21 months i.e. till the 75th anniversary of independence. A total of Rs 971 crore will be spent to build the new Parliament House. The new Parliament House is being built near the existing Parliament House in a huge area of 65000 sqm. It is being said that both buildings will work together. With this, Parliament will be able to operate efficiently and smoothly.
The most special is the triangular design of the new Parliament House, which is being made to strengthen the security of Z and Z Plus level according to the seismic system for better space management. The main structure of the new building of Parliament has been prepared and now finishing work is being completed at the internal level.
Tata Projects Limited is constructing the new Parliament House. This building will be 4 storeys. There will be 6 ways to visit the new Parliament House. An entrance will be for PM and President. There will be 1 entrance and 2 public entrances for the admission of one Lok Sabha speaker, and one Rajya Sabha chairperson MPs.
These will be facilities
The government says that the winter session of Parliament will be held in the new Parliament House under the Narendra Modi government’s ambitious Central Vista redevelopment project. The new Parliament will work with complete functionality in January 2023 in the budget session. Then there will be paper missing in the works of Parliament here. The entire work will be done through modern equipment.
According to a parliamentary officer, the next time a minister will face the difficult question of a member in Question Hour, there will be no one to give the slip next to him because of the National E-Legislative App for talks between ministers and secretaries during the proceedings of the House. (NEVA) will be used.
During the budget session, every member will sit at their desk with a terminal. It will also have the facility to get your food from the house canteen. To answer the questions of the secretary members of the ministers, you can also write notes on linked pads from your office. Even the meetings of the committee to be held in front of the camera for a long time will be able to be public. Now there will be an e-attendance suite in the system to keep all the members active in Parliament.
Ignorant will remain for 150 years
In the new Parliament House, 30 percent of power consumption can be reduced through eco-friendly green construction. It is being constructed according to the needs of up to 150 years. Compared to the old Parliament House, the total seating capacity will be more than 150 percent. There will be a total of 120 offices in the new Parliament House. In which there will be a committee room, ministry of parliamentary affairs office, Lok Sabha Secretary, Rajya Sabha Secretariat, PM Office, etc.
There will be no central condition in this. The Lok Sabha Chamber will be built in the 3015 square meter area. It will have 888 seats instead of 543 seats. It is being built on the theme of the national bird Mayur. On the theme of the lotus flower, the Rajya Sabha will be built in a total of 3,220 square meters area. It will have 384 seats instead of 245. Paperless work will be done in the new building offices. It will also have a library, lounge, and dining area for MPs. Parking in it will also be modern technology.
The Joint MP will have a sitting capacity of 1272 MPs. The halls of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will be equipped with high-quality audio video. Along with this, every desk will be containing electronic gadgets. Not only this, the offices of all MPs will be equipped with digital interfaces and modern amenities.
The new building will have a major costation hall, which will show a glimpse of India’s democratic heritage. There will be a smart display on furniture in the building. There will be a biometric system for ease of voting. The translation system will be a special attraction in the new Parliament House so that every language speech can be considered as every MP. This building will have an interpretation service to explain the meaning with every word spoken in the 22 languages recognized by the Indian Constitution.
Library, committee room, food hall, adequate parking lot, and Divyang Friendly are included in other features of the new Parliament House. This building, which gives a new dimension to democracy, will cherish regional art skills and workmanship in every part of it. The National War Memorial has been built in front of the old martyr memorial of the colonial period. Similarly, the new Parliament House is being built in front of the old Parliament House, the story of a new and self-sufficient India will be seen telling. Hardly any big Parliament in the world has given a new look at this scale at once as it has been in the new building of the Parliament of India.
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