Over a century ago, while India was still 26 years away from becoming an independent nation, Britain's Duke of Connaught laid the foundation stone of Parliament House (then called The Council House) on February 12, 1921. As per archival documents, he said it would stand "as the symbol of India's rebirth to yet higher destinies". Six years later, the Parliament House opened for the decision makers for the Crown-ruled colony desperate for freedom.
Since then, the Parliament House, revered as the temple of democracy, has seen history shaping itself. The chambers of this old majestic structure have heard the echoes of bombs hurled by revolutionaries Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt in their struggle to attain freedom, chants of 'Inqilab Zindabad,' and the historic speech of the first Prime Minister of Independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru - Tryst with Destiny.
But now, India is set to turn the page to a new Parliament House set to be inaugurated on May 28. Designed to have a lifespan of more than 150 years, the legislative building was completed at a cost of Rs 836 crore and has an area of 64,500 square metres. But, why does the country need a new Parliament building?
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The impending expansion of the size of the parliament
Currently, the Lok Sabha can seat 552 MPs and Central Hall 436 persons. However, since independence, India's population has almost quadrupled. Hence, there is a need to increase the number of Lok Sabha constituencies through delimitation. Though the number of Lok Sabha members is to remain constant, the number of MPs in states is to be changed every 10 years to reflect the change in population so that every MP will represent an equal number of citizens.
Lok Sabha constituencies were frozen from 1976 up to 2001 due to the anomaly in the population and respective legislative seats to represent them. But, when this 25-year term was over, it was again pushed back by 25 years. Now the next delimitation exercise is scheduled for 2026, which is fast approaching and cannot be postponed any further. Members of Parliament (MPs) sit cheek-by-jowl in the chambers of the two houses. The new Parliament building- which is based on India's national bird peacock - will give a seating capacity of 888 seats to the Lok Sabha, thrice the current capacity. Rajya Sabha will have a capacity of 348 seats, which is based on the Lotus theme - the national flower.
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Lack of documentation and safety
The basic layout of the old parliament building is not documented which has caused difficulties in strengthening its structures during refurbishments. Magnificent from the outside, the internal chambers barely have office space for MPs, making them meet visitors in the parliament canteen or at their residences.
The 90-year-old building's attic can only be accessed by elevators and a narrow staircase - a risk for staff and MPs in case of fire or other emergencies. Former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar had once said that the building is “weeping”. Her successor Sumitra Mahajan, in a letter to the government, stated that the building was showing “signs of distress”.
Also, as mentioned earlier, since the Lok Sabha can seat 552 MPs and Central Hall 436 persons, in the case of joint sittings, about 200 temporary seats are added every time in the aisle, raising more safety concerns.
Moreover, since no documents are available, it's not sure that the Parliament Building can stand an earthquake as Delhi's risk factor has increased from Seismic Zone II to Seismic Zone IV.
The new building will comply with the highest structural safety standards, including adherence to Seismic Zone V requirements and is designed for ease of maintenance and operations. Along with that, the new building is equipped with modern office spaces, large committee rooms with state-of-the-art audio-visual systems, a revamped Sansad Bhavan and a new library. The new building will also be accessible to people with disabilities.
During the launch of the project, Prime Minister Narendra Modi summed up the new Parliament complex saying that it would become a "witness to the creation of a self-reliant India."
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