Public consultation on new parliament house design: Pralhad Joshi

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said there would be greater public consultation over the design of the new Parliament building in New Delhi that would highlight the aesthetics of India.

Speaking to DH over the phone from Delhi, he said the decision on design and others will commence once the threat of COVID-19 subsides. “Critics will continue to criticise any decision taken by the government. The decision to build a new Parliament House was taken some 7-8 months ago. There was no COVID-19 threat then,” he said and added that a country which aspires to be a five trillion economy should have a parliament that stands testimony to its ambition.

The present parliament house does not have scope for expansion and inculcate the latest technology. “MPs do not have enough space to sit,” he said.

Union government has proposed to construct a New Parliament House at an estimated cost of Rs 20,000 crore. The design of the new parliament house, which was presented before the committee headed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla recently. However, the design did not receive a positive response from leaders of opposition parties.