Tata Projects to bag the Parliament redevelopment work
17 Sep 2020 Editorial Team
Tata Projects is set to win the contract for the government’s parliament redevelopment project since they outbid L&T for this project. Tata’s bid of Rs 8.619 billion is lower than the bid of Rs 8.65 billion offered by Larsen & Toubro (L&T).
Seven firms had shown interest in the technical bid for the project. The bids were opened in the month of August and three companies were shortlisted for the financial bid process where L&T and Tata Projects participated but Shapoorji Pallonji did not.
The construction of the new parliament building is expected to be completed by March 2022 before India’s 76th Independence Day. With a built-up area of approximately 60,000 m sq on plot number 118 of the Parliament House Estate, the new building will be a triangular-shaped construction. The construction work of the project will soon begin after the monsoon session of the parliament which ends on October 1. Central Public Works Department (CPWD) looking after the development work has estimated the cost of the project to be Rs 9.40 billion over 21 months.
The parliament house completed in the year 1927 does not meet the current infrastructural needs. Therefore, the new redevelopment plan seeks to address such inadequacies. There will be:
- Adequate seating arrangement: The building will have halls with increased seating capacity for Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The new Lok sabha hall will have the capacity to accommodate over 1,350 parliamentarians during the joint sessions. The new seating arrangements address the issue of inadequate space faced by the MP’s, especially during the joint sessions.
- Offices for all MP’s: the new structure will have offices for all the MP’s something that not available to them before.
- Green building: The new building will be fitted with solar panels and will have various energy-saving equipments.
- Dedicated parking areas.
- Better audio and visual equipment will be used to ensure clarity of presentation and minimise the problem of echoing. There will also be built-in translation systems as well.
Reportedly according to a presentation by HCP Design Planning and Management, the project consultant, the current design of the Parliament House will incorporate the state emblem instead of the spire.