Heritage Conservation Committee approves construction of new parliament building

The Heritage Conservation Committee on Monday gave its approval for the construction of a new Parliament building.

The committee discussed the proposal and gave its approval, said Housing Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra told reporters.

The Additional Secretary of the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry is the chairman of the Heritage Conservation Committee.

Earlier, the Supreme Court, while approving the project, had directed the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to take the approval of the Heritage Committee.

The Apex court cleared the decks for the ambitious Central Vista Project, which covers a three-km stretch from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate in Lutyens' Delhi, by upholding the environmental clearance and the notification for change in land use.

In the majority verdict, the apex court said that prior permission shall be taken from the heritage conservation committee and other relevant authorities before the start of construction at new sites.

The Central Vista revamp, announced in September 2019, envisages a new triangular Parliament building, with a seating capacity for 900 to 1,200 MPs, that is to be constructed by August 2022 when the country will be celebrating its 75th Independence Day. The common Central Secretariat is likely to be built by 2024 under the project.

Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the new Parliament building.