Glimpses of Central Vista Project
24 Jan 2023 CW Team
The central government recently released images of the new Parliament building, which is scheduled
to be finished by the end of January. The new facility can now accommodate the increasing number
of elected representatives over the last few decades. PM Narendra Modi laid the groundwork for
this ambitious project in 2020. The Parliament is being built with larger halls, a library, and plenty of
parking. Furthermore, the new Parliament's meeting rooms and offices will be outfitted with cutting-
edge technology.
The Central Vista project includes the new Parliament building. While media reports claim that one
portion of the upcoming Budget session will be held in the new building, the government has yet to
release any information on the subject.
‘Council House’ of 1927
The current Parliament building was opened with great fanfare on January 18, 1927, by then-Viceroy
Lord Irwin. According to archival documents, the magnificent structure was known as the Council
House at the time. The opening of the Parliament House building was widely publicised at the time,
according to the news agency PTI. The sprawling structure covered nearly six acres, had a diameter
of 560 feet, and a circumference of one-third of a mile. Sir Herbert Baker, who was chosen along
with Sir Edwin Lutyens to design the new imperial capital in Delhi, designed the existing structure.
INFORMATION ON NEW PARLIAMENT BUILDING
Ahmedabad-based HCP Design, Planning and Management is behind the designing of the new
space. The designing work was led by architect Bimal Patel and the new building has been built
adjacent to the existing Parliament HouseAccording to an IE report, the construction began in January 2021, with Tata Projects as the
CPWD’s contractorThe new chamber of the Lower House of Parliament (Lok Sabha) now has 888 seats. Its capacity can
be expanded for more MPs should the strength of the House increase with future delimitations. The
new upper house (Rajya Sabha) chamber has 384 seatsThe interiors of the Upper House are lotus themed, while the Lok Sabha has peacock motifs
Unlike in the existing Parliament, the new building does not have a Central Hall. Instead, the Lok
Sabha chamber will be used for joint sessions, IE reportedThe new Parliament “will have extensive use of wooden structure…rooted in traditional motifs and
elements…The floors of the new building would have hand-knotted carpets from Bhadohi in Uttar
Pradesh,” according to the MoHUA’s Central Vista website