India is set to witness a historic day as it will see the proceedings shifting to the new parliament building today. Parliament is the biggest representation of democracy and now, Sansad will have a new avatar. From today onwards, all parliamentary proceedings will be taking place in the ‘New Parliament’ building. The new Parliament building was inaugurated in May, 2023 after 2 years of mega construction.
The old Parliament building on Sansad Bhawan road, New Delhi, was seen as ‘inadequate’ to hold modern India’s aspirations. On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while speaking during the Special Session, paid tribute to “every brick” of the old Parliament building and said that the new Parliament building will showcase India’s “new hopes and confidence”.
So what will happen to the 96-year-old building that was a portrayal of the architectural idea of Sir Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker? The Modi government has plans for it.
As per the reports, the space of the old Parliament building will be utilised for other Parliamentary purposes and events for future use and would be seen as an architectural asset for India. Reportedly, “the historic structure will be conserved, as it is an archaeological asset of the country.”
Back in 2021, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had also confirmed in the Rajya Sabha that the old existing building would be repaired and used for other purposes. The old building holds the history of India and its evolution throughout these years which makes it a great option to become a museum. As per popular claims, the old Parliament building is considered to be used as an educational museum for the common public.
The new Parliament building project had faced several controversies. The new building is designed, planned and structured by Ahmedabad-based architect Bimal Patel. Sprawling in an area of around 64,500 sq meters, the Central Vista is composed of 4 buildings that promised to hold 888 parliamentarians in the Lok Sabha and around 300 in the Rajya Sabha.