Construction of the new Parliament building: A timeline

The upcoming inauguration of the new Parliament building in New Delhi has garnered significant attention. Opposition parties have criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre for not involving President Droupadi Murmu in the ceremony.

Around 20 parties have announced their intention to boycott the event if Prime Minister Narendra Modi performs the inauguration. Some parties have also raised concerns about the chosen date, as it coincides with the birth anniversary of Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar.

“Prime Minister Modi’s decision to inaugurate the new parliament building by himself, completely sidelining President Murmu, is not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democracy which demands a commensurate response,” a statement issued by the opposition parties read.

Also read | 25 parties expected to join new Parliament building inauguration

The matter also reached the Supreme Court, but the court dismissed the PIL that sought inauguration by the President. A bench of justices J K Maheshwari and P S Narasimha told the petitioner that is was not inclined to entertain this petition under Article 32 of the Constitution.

Here is the timeline of the new Parliament building construction:

September 2019: The Redevelopment of Central Vista Master Plan was conceived in September 2019-- months before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, the official website said.

The government had faced intense criticism for going ahead with the project during the Covid-19 pandemic.

October 2019: HCP Designs, an architecture firm from Gujarat, won the consultancy bid for the Central Vista redevelopment project, which also includes the new Parliament building.

September 2020: Tata Projects bagged the contract for constructing the new Parliament building for Rs 861.90 crores.

December 2020: PM Modi laid the foundation stone for the new Parliament building.

December 2021: The Union Housing Ministry informed Parliament that the physical progress of the new Parliament building was 35 per cent complete, with the remaining work expected to be finished by October 2022.

July 2022: Modi unveiled the statue of the national emblem on top of the new Parliament building.

August 2022: The main structure of the new Parliament building was completed, with finishing work in progress, Tata Projects CEO Vinayak Pai had said.

January 2023: The Lok Sabha Secretariat began prepping new identity cards for MPs to access the new Parliament building.

January 2023: The CPWD invited bids for mechanised housekeeping of the new Parliament building, with a cost of around Rs 24.65 crore for three years.

March 2023: Modi made a surprise visit to the new Parliament building, inspecting various works.

May 2023: Final touches were given to the new Parliament building.

May 2023: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla met Modi and invited him to inaugurate the new Parliament building on May 28.

May 2023: As many as 20 opposition parties, including the Congress and Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party, announced their decision to boycott the inauguration ceremony, sparking a major political row.

(With PTI inputs)