The New Parliament Building And Its Significance

“The power of the Indian democratic system manifests in our Parliament, which weathered the Indian freedom struggle from colonial rule and witnessed many historical milestones”. This is the first sentence of the government of India website, centralvista.gov.in.

Such is the importance of our Parliament. And, happily enough, the Parliament House is the haloed hall in which the assembly of the two houses of our republic assembles. The first Parliament building in New Delhi was the witness to the acceptance of the Constitution of the country. An iconic second building has recently been inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi. The old building was constructed from 1921 o 1927. However, there is no formal document to talk about its initial blueprint. Hence, all the secondary constructions were done in an ad-hoc manner. It is also restricted in terms of spacing for the members. As a matter of fact, the number of Lok Sabha seats has been 545 since 1971. This is set to increase after 2026. Thus, there is a need for a new structure. The new building has a built-up area of close to 65,000 square meters. It is triangular in shape to ensure optimal utilization of all its faculties. It is worth mentioning that the new ethos of the Parliament will be an ensemble meeting ground between the old and new buildings.

The new construct has larger chambers for the legislature. The Lok Sabha hall has a seating capacity of up to 888 seats. The Rajya Sabha hall now can accommodate up to 384 personnel. The Lok Sabha hall, during a joint session, can take up to 1272 members. In effect, it is three times the size of the old hall. Along with, it has comfortable seating and is themed on the peacock, the national bird of India. The Constitutional hall in the new edifice places primary importance on the Indian citizens. The office complex here is designed to be in sync with the latest technological improvements. The new Sansad Bhawan generates employment opportunities for the three sets of skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled worker class (“Stronger Together: New Parliament Building for Realizing People’s Aspirations”). This, in the present state, is a platinum-rated green building and reflects the spirit of the nation dedicated towards environmental sustainability. The “Sengol” or the symbol of power transfer from the British to India is the essence in its premises. The earlier issues of concern regarding water supply, CCTV cameras, air conditioning have now been addressed. The modifications over the years had led to seepage in the amenity. This cumbersome roadblock is now sorted out. The earlier building was erected in keeping with the Seismic Zone-II activity of Delhi at that time. Now, Delhi comes in the Seismic Zone-IV and there is a viable requirement for newer updates in the facility. Fire safety measures and communication dynamics of the old building were outdated. These have been suitably reinvented. It addresses the amenities needed for the differently-abled or divyang personnel. The sangeet gallery showcases the musical and dance traditions of India. The Sthaphya gallery is replete with our architectural riches. The Shilp gallery presents the distinctive handicraft dynamics of the states of India. The digitized voting system, state-of-the-art audiovisual narratives, and the advanced acoustics, all promise newness and alacrity of the latest advancements in their respective domains (“New Parliament Building for New India”). In essence, the new Parliament House is a monument signifying an age that truly emulates the heritage innateness of the country itself – ushering in the new worldliness while staying true and faithful to the rich ancient traditional conservatism of the country.