No hotel accommodation for newly elected LS members

The newly-elected Lok Sabha members will have to make do with transit accommodation at Western Court – the recently upgraded parliament's hostel and state guesthouses instead of swanky hotels.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat has decided against providing any hotel accommodation for the newly-elected members, a move that is expected to save Rs 30 crore to the exchequer.

In 2014, transit accommodation was provided to nearly 311 first-time Lok Sabha MPs, with several of them staying at Ashoka and Samrat hotels run by the India Tourism Development Corporation.

The 92-year-old Parliament building has got a facelift with extensive cleaning works and refurbishing of the iconic Central Hall where members meet during their free time, Lok Sabha Secretary General Snehalata Shrivastav said here.

With the counting of votes for the Lok Sabha polls scheduled for Thursday, the newly-elected members are expected to start arriving in the national capital from Friday. The secretariat has already started making arrangements.

According to an official, accommodation has been arranged for 100 new MPs in the Western Court and its annex building, while 265 new parliamentarians would be lodged in state Bhawans.

Shrivastava informed reporters that a series of initiatives have been taken by the Lok Sabha secretariat to make registration formalities seamless and technology-oriented. All paper-work related to salaries, allowances and a host of other issues will be completed at a single desk.

The secretariat has set up help desks at all three terminals of the Indira Gandhi International Airport and railway stations in the national capital, she said, adding that 56 nodal officers have been assigned around eight to 10 constituencies each, to get in touch with the newly elected parliamentarians.

The iconic dome of the Central Hall and the roof of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha is getting a fresh coat of white paint that will reflect ultra-violet rays to minimise the damage to the building, and also reduce the temperature in the chambers significantly.

The tables in the Central Hall have got a good scrubbing to remove layers of varnishes applied over the years to restore its original wood look.