Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid the foundation stone of the new Parliament building in Delhi. The move comes after the Supreme Court gave the nod to lay the foundation stone.
Here are 10 facts you need to know about the new Parliament building:
1. This move is to celebrate 75 years of India's Independence in 2022 with a new building constructed by Indian architects and workers.
2. The new building will have an area of 64,500 square metres and can seat as many as 1,224 MPs at a time. The new Parliament will have four floors - basement, ground, first and second floor. Its height will be the same as the old building.
3. Construction of the building is estimated to cost around Rs 971 crore.
4. The Tata Projects Limited won the bid to construct the new parliament building in September 2020 at a cost of Rs 83 lakh at the time of bidding.
5. The design will integrate 'indigenous architecture', involving nearly 2,000 workers for construction, 200 artists, and 9,000 others periphrastically, from different parts of the country, according to reports.
6. The new Lok Sabha chamber will have a seating capacity for 888 members, while Rajya Sabha will have 384 seats for the Upper House members.
7. A new office complex for lawmakers of both the Houses would be built at the site of the existing Shram Shakti Bhawan. The building will have a total of 120 office spaces including committee rooms and major offices.
8. Apart from the two Sabhas, the building will also include spaces for a grand Constitution Hall to showcase India's democratic heritage, a lounge for members of Parliament, a library, multiple committee rooms, dining areas. Ample parking space is also to be provided.
9. Meanwhile, the existing Parliament House building will be suitably retro-fitted to provide more functional spaces and conserved as an archaeological property of India.
10. The existing building is a massive circular edifice of 560 feet in diameter with twelve gates.
(With inputs from PTI)
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