News Analysis India

Tag: New Parliament building

  • Every decision taken in new Parliament will lay foundation of India’s glorious future: PM Modi

    Modi inaugurated the new building this morning at a grand ceremony which included a havan, a multi-faith prayer ceremony and the installation of the Sengol in a special enclosure. NEW DELHI: The new Parliament building is a reflection of new India’s aspirations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday, asserting that it will pave the way for empowering the poor and marginalised and herald the rise of a “developed India” that will inspire the progress of other nations.

    In a speech delivered from the grand and cavernous Lok Sabha hall decorated in peacock motif, Modi said the ultra-modern complex was the “need of the hour” in view of the expected increase in the number of members of Parliament.

    Some moments in the developmental journey of a nation get immortalised, today is one such day, Modi said amid repeated thumping of desks by the audience.

    “More than just a building, the new Parliament encompasses the aspirations and dreams of 1.4 billion people. It sends a powerful message to the world about India’s unwavering determination,” he said and hailed the country’s democratic ethos.

    Modi inaugurated the new building this morning at a grand ceremony which included a havan, a multi-faith prayer ceremony and the installation of the Sengol in a special enclosure in the Lok Sabha chamber.

    He later addressed a gathering of MPs and distinguished guests in the newly-built Lok Sabha chamber that saw attendance from about 25 parties.

    About 20 opposition parties boycotted the event, accusing the prime minister of “sidelining” President Droupadi Murmu.

    The new Parliament complex will witness realisation of the ‘developed India’ pledge and will inspire other nations as well, Modi said.

    Soon after he arrived in Lok Sabha amidst chants of ‘Modi, Modi’, the messages by President Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar were read out, while Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Harivansh also addressed the gathering.

    ALSO READ | BJP MP Brij Bhushan seen at new Parliament as Olympian wrestlers manhandled, detained

    In his speech, Modi said that as India develops, the world progresses.

    He asserted that this new Parliament building will give a call for the development of the world as well.

    He also talked about the ‘Sengol’, saying that it was a symbol of power transfer from the British and had now been given the respect it deserves.

    “In the Chola empire, it (Sengol) was considered a symbol of the Kartavya path (path of duty), Seva Path (path of service) and Rashtra path (path of the nation),” Modi said.

    #WATCH | Several years of foreign rule stole our pride from us. Today, India has left behind that colonial mindset: PM Narendra Modi in the new Parliament pic.twitter.com/2MjiPD7lBP
    — ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2023

    The prime minister asserted that India is not only a democratic nation but is also the mother of democracy.

    “Our democracy is our inspiration, our Constitution our resolve. Parliament is the best representative of this inspiration and resolution,” he said, adding that the new Parliament building was a perfect example of the co-existence of the old and new.

    In his remarks, Modi also pointed out that the construction of the new Parliament building gave employment to 60,000 workers and a digital gallery dedicated to them has also been built in the complex.

    The building has been completed in about two-and-a-half years at an estimated cost of nearly Rs 1,200 crore.

    From building Panchayat buildings to the Parliament complex, “our commitment remains the same”, he said as he drew parallels between the grandeur of the new building and the work done by his government at the ground level.

    “We have 25 years of ‘Amritkaal Khand’, together we have to make India a developed nation in this period,” Modi said. Every decision taken in this Parliament will decide the fate of all sections of society and laws made here will help remove poverty and empower the poor and the marginalised sections of society, he said.

    “Every decision taken here will lay the foundation of India’s glorious future. The way to empower the poor, dalits, backwards, tribals, divyangs and other marginalised section does through here,” he said, adding “each brick and wall of this Parliament building should be dedicated to the welfare of the poor”.

    He said the new Parliament building will be a testament to the dawn of Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India).

    “It will be a witness to our journey towards a Viksit Bharat (developed India),” Modi said at the event attended by former president Ram Nath Kovind, Chief Ministers Y S Jagan Reddy, Yogi Adityanath, Eknath Shinde and Neiphu Rio, foreign envoys, Parliamentarians and people from different walks of life.

    Earlier, dressed in traditional attire, Modi walked into Parliament premises from its Gate No.1 and was welcomed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

    Amid Vedic chants by priests from Karnataka’s Shringeri Math, the prime minister performed “Ganapati Homam” to invoke divine blessings.

    The prime minister prostrated before the Sengol and sought blessings from high priests of various adheenams in Tamil Nadu with the holy sceptre in hand.

    Modi then carried the Sengol in a procession amid tunes of nadaswaram and chanting of Vedic mantras to the new Parliament building and installed it in a special enclosure on the right side of the Speaker’s chair in the Lok Sabha chamber.

    “As the new building of India’s Parliament is inaugurated, our hearts and minds are filled with pride, hope and promise. May this iconic building be a cradle of empowerment, igniting dreams and nurturing them into reality. May it propel our great nation to new heights of progress,” the prime minister tweeted.

    The prime minister felicitated with shawls and souvenirs some of the workers for their key role in the construction of the new Parliament building.

    The new Parliament building, constructed by Tata Projects Ltd, will also have a grand Constitution Hall to showcase India’s democratic heritage, a lounge for MPs, a library, multiple committee rooms, dining areas and ample parking space.

    The triangular-shaped four-storey building has a built-up area of 64,500 square metres.

    The building has three main gates — Gyan Dwar, Shakti Dwar, and Karma Dwar.

  • PM Modi releases special stamp, Rs 75 coin to mark inauguration of new Parliament building

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday released a special commemorative postage stamp and a Rs 75 coin to mark the inauguration of the new Parliament building.

    He released the coin and the stamp at the inauguration event held at the Lok Sabha chamber of the new Parliament building.

    According to a gazette notification by the Department of Economic Affairs under the Union Ministry of Finance, the weight of the coin would be 34.65-35.35 grams.

    One side of the coin will bear the image of the Lion Capital of the Ashoka Pillar in the centre, flanked by the word “Bharat” in Devanagari script and “INDIA” in English, it said.

    The rupee symbol “?” and denominational value “75” in international numerals will also be inscribed below the Lion Capital.

    The other side of the coin will bear the image of the Parliament Complex and the year “2023” in international numerals below the image.

    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday released a special commemorative postage stamp and a Rs 75 coin to mark the inauguration of the new Parliament building.

    He released the coin and the stamp at the inauguration event held at the Lok Sabha chamber of the new Parliament building.

    According to a gazette notification by the Department of Economic Affairs under the Union Ministry of Finance, the weight of the coin would be 34.65-35.35 grams.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    One side of the coin will bear the image of the Lion Capital of the Ashoka Pillar in the centre, flanked by the word “Bharat” in Devanagari script and “INDIA” in English, it said.

    The rupee symbol “?” and denominational value “75” in international numerals will also be inscribed below the Lion Capital.

    The other side of the coin will bear the image of the Parliament Complex and the year “2023” in international numerals below the image.

  • RJD makes “coffin” jibe at new Parliament building; BJP says register treason charge

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: The Rashtriya Janata Dal on Sunday allegedly equated the structure of the new Parliament building with that of a coffin

    Taking to Twitter, the RJD shared a photo of a coffin and asked ‘Yeh kya hai (What is this?) in Hindi. The reaction has elicited sharp reactions from BJP.

    ये क्या है? pic.twitter.com/9NF9iSqh4L
    — Rashtriya Janata Dal (@RJDforIndia) May 28, 2023
    “A case of treason should be registered against such people who have compared the new Parliament building with a coffin, ” BJP leader Sushil Modi said.

    RJD leader Shakti Yadav while speaking to ANI said, “PM Modi has buried democracy. The coffin has been posted as Modi has ensured the death of democracy.”

    “This is very unfortunate. Today they are comparing it with a coffin, were they comparing the old Parliament with ‘zero’? We were earlier sitting in zero?” BJP leader Dushyant Gautam asked.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday morning inaugurated the new Parliament building on Sunday morning and installed the historic Sengol in the Lok Sabha chamber.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building on Sunday morning and installed the historic Sengol in the Lok Sabha chamber.

    Several Union ministers, including Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, S Jaishankar, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Mansukh Mandaviya and Jitendra Singh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and BJP president J P Nadda among other leaders were present on the occasion.

    NEW DELHI: The Rashtriya Janata Dal on Sunday allegedly equated the structure of the new Parliament building with that of a coffin

    Taking to Twitter, the RJD shared a photo of a coffin and asked ‘Yeh kya hai (What is this?) in Hindi. The reaction has elicited sharp reactions from BJP.

    ये क्या है? pic.twitter.com/9NF9iSqh4Lgoogletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
    — Rashtriya Janata Dal (@RJDforIndia) May 28, 2023
    “A case of treason should be registered against such people who have compared the new Parliament building with a coffin, ” BJP leader Sushil Modi said.

    RJD leader Shakti Yadav while speaking to ANI said, “PM Modi has buried democracy. The coffin has been posted as Modi has ensured the death of democracy.”

    “This is very unfortunate. Today they are comparing it with a coffin, were they comparing the old Parliament with ‘zero’? We were earlier sitting in zero?” BJP leader Dushyant Gautam asked.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday morning inaugurated the new Parliament building on Sunday morning and installed the historic Sengol in the Lok Sabha chamber.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building on Sunday morning and installed the historic Sengol in the Lok Sabha chamber.

    Several Union ministers, including Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, S Jaishankar, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Mansukh Mandaviya and Jitendra Singh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and BJP president J P Nadda among other leaders were present on the occasion.

  • New Parliament idea mooted by Narasimha Rao, good that it has been constructed: Ghulam Nabi Azad

    By ANI

    JAMMU: Asserting that the construction of a new Parliament building was necessary, Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday said that it is good that it has been constructed but the idea was mooted when PV Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister.

    He further refrained from commenting on the issue of which political party would be attending or boycotting the inauguration event of the new Parliament building.

    “This is a technical issue. Parliamentarians who want to boycott this event or want to attend it is up to them. It is their point of view on how they want to perceive this event. Those parliamentarians will have to explain the reasons why they are boycotting the event. I don’t want to comment on who will be attending or boycotting the inauguration event,” Azad, Democratic Progressive Azad Party chief, told to ANI.

    He also recalled the conversation related to the need for a new Parliament building between him and then Speaker Shivraj Patil when PV Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister.

    “At the time when PV Narasimha Rao was the PM, Shivraj Patil was the Speaker and I was the Parliamentary Affairs minister, Shivraj ji had said to me that a new and bigger Parliament building should be constructed before 2026. The construction of a new building was necessary, it’s good that it has been constructed now,” he said.

    In a tweet, Rahul Gandhi said, “Not getting the President to inaugurate the Parliament nor invite her to the ceremony is an insult to the country’s highest constitutional post. Parliament is not made of bricks of ego but of constitutional values.”

    Congress and eighteen other opposition parties have decided to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament Building and stated that it “insults the high office of the President, and violates the letter and spirit of the Constitution”.

    READ HERE | 19 opposition parties to boycott new Parliament building inauguration

    In a joint statement, the like-minded opposition parties said that Prime Minister’s decision to inaugurate the building by himself is “a direct assault on our democracy, which demands a commensurate response.” The new Parliament building will be inaugurated on May 28.

    “When the soul of democracy has been sucked out from the Parliament, we find no value in a new building. We announce our collective decision to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building. We will continue to fight — in letter, in spirit, and in substance — against this authoritarian Prime Minister and his government, and take our message directly to the people of India,” the statement said.

    The nineteen opposition parties who will boycott the inauguration are – Congress, DMK, Aam Aadmi Party, Shiv Sena (UBT), Samajwadi Party, TMC, Janta Dal (United), Nationalist Congress Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), RJD, Indian Union Muslim League, National Conference, Communist Party of India, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Kerala Congress (Mani), Vidhuthalai Chirunthaigal Katchi, Rashtriya Lok Dal, Revolutionary, Socialist Party and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

    The statement said that the inauguration of a new Parliament building is a momentous occasion.

    “Despite our belief that the government is threatening democracy, and our disapproval of the autocratic manner in which the new Parliament was built, we were open to sinking our differences and marking this occasion. However, Prime Minister Modi’s decision to inaugurate the new Parliament building by himself, completely sidelining President Murmu, is not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democracy which demands a commensurate response,” it said.

    The opposition parties said that Article 79 of the Constitution states that there shall be a Parliament for the Union which shall consist of the President and two Houses to be known respectively as the Council of States and the House of the People.

    “The President is not only the Head of State in India but also an integral part of the Parliament. She summons, prorogues, and addresses the Parliament. She must assent for an Act of Parliament to take effect. In short, the Parliament cannot function without the President. Yet, the Prime Minister has decided to inaugurate the new Parliament building without her. This undignified act insults the high office of the President, and violates the letter and spirit of the Constitution. It undermines the spirit of inclusion which saw the nation celebrate its first woman Adivasi President,” the statement said.

    The statement alleged that the ruling party at the Centre has sought to suppress the voice of opposition parties in Parliament.

    “Undemocratic acts are not new to the Prime Minister, who has relentlessly hollowed out the Parliament. Opposition Members of Parliament have been disqualified, suspended and muted when they raised the issues of the people of India. MPs from the Treasury benches have disrupted Parliament. Many controversial legislations, including the three farm laws, have been passed with almost no debate, and Parliamentary Committees have been practically made defunct,” the statement said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the new Parliament Building on December 10, 2020. It has been built in record time with quality construction.

    In the present building of the Parliament, there is a provision for the sitting of 543 Members in the Lok Sabha and 250 in the Rajya Sabha. Keeping in view the future requirements, arrangements have been made for a meeting of 888 members in the Lok Sabha and 384 members in the Rajya Sabha in the newly constructed building of the Parliament. The joint session of both Houses will be held in the Lok Sabha chamber. 

    JAMMU: Asserting that the construction of a new Parliament building was necessary, Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday said that it is good that it has been constructed but the idea was mooted when PV Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister.

    He further refrained from commenting on the issue of which political party would be attending or boycotting the inauguration event of the new Parliament building.

    “This is a technical issue. Parliamentarians who want to boycott this event or want to attend it is up to them. It is their point of view on how they want to perceive this event. Those parliamentarians will have to explain the reasons why they are boycotting the event. I don’t want to comment on who will be attending or boycotting the inauguration event,” Azad, Democratic Progressive Azad Party chief, told to ANI.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    He also recalled the conversation related to the need for a new Parliament building between him and then Speaker Shivraj Patil when PV Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister.

    “At the time when PV Narasimha Rao was the PM, Shivraj Patil was the Speaker and I was the Parliamentary Affairs minister, Shivraj ji had said to me that a new and bigger Parliament building should be constructed before 2026. The construction of a new building was necessary, it’s good that it has been constructed now,” he said.

    In a tweet, Rahul Gandhi said, “Not getting the President to inaugurate the Parliament nor invite her to the ceremony is an insult to the country’s highest constitutional post. Parliament is not made of bricks of ego but of constitutional values.”

    Congress and eighteen other opposition parties have decided to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament Building and stated that it “insults the high office of the President, and violates the letter and spirit of the Constitution”.

    READ HERE | 19 opposition parties to boycott new Parliament building inauguration

    In a joint statement, the like-minded opposition parties said that Prime Minister’s decision to inaugurate the building by himself is “a direct assault on our democracy, which demands a commensurate response.” The new Parliament building will be inaugurated on May 28.

    “When the soul of democracy has been sucked out from the Parliament, we find no value in a new building. We announce our collective decision to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building. We will continue to fight — in letter, in spirit, and in substance — against this authoritarian Prime Minister and his government, and take our message directly to the people of India,” the statement said.

    The nineteen opposition parties who will boycott the inauguration are – Congress, DMK, Aam Aadmi Party, Shiv Sena (UBT), Samajwadi Party, TMC, Janta Dal (United), Nationalist Congress Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), RJD, Indian Union Muslim League, National Conference, Communist Party of India, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Kerala Congress (Mani), Vidhuthalai Chirunthaigal Katchi, Rashtriya Lok Dal, Revolutionary, Socialist Party and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

    The statement said that the inauguration of a new Parliament building is a momentous occasion.

    “Despite our belief that the government is threatening democracy, and our disapproval of the autocratic manner in which the new Parliament was built, we were open to sinking our differences and marking this occasion. However, Prime Minister Modi’s decision to inaugurate the new Parliament building by himself, completely sidelining President Murmu, is not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democracy which demands a commensurate response,” it said.

    The opposition parties said that Article 79 of the Constitution states that there shall be a Parliament for the Union which shall consist of the President and two Houses to be known respectively as the Council of States and the House of the People.

    “The President is not only the Head of State in India but also an integral part of the Parliament. She summons, prorogues, and addresses the Parliament. She must assent for an Act of Parliament to take effect. In short, the Parliament cannot function without the President. Yet, the Prime Minister has decided to inaugurate the new Parliament building without her. This undignified act insults the high office of the President, and violates the letter and spirit of the Constitution. It undermines the spirit of inclusion which saw the nation celebrate its first woman Adivasi President,” the statement said.

    The statement alleged that the ruling party at the Centre has sought to suppress the voice of opposition parties in Parliament.

    “Undemocratic acts are not new to the Prime Minister, who has relentlessly hollowed out the Parliament. Opposition Members of Parliament have been disqualified, suspended and muted when they raised the issues of the people of India. MPs from the Treasury benches have disrupted Parliament. Many controversial legislations, including the three farm laws, have been passed with almost no debate, and Parliamentary Committees have been practically made defunct,” the statement said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the new Parliament Building on December 10, 2020. It has been built in record time with quality construction.

    In the present building of the Parliament, there is a provision for the sitting of 543 Members in the Lok Sabha and 250 in the Rajya Sabha. Keeping in view the future requirements, arrangements have been made for a meeting of 888 members in the Lok Sabha and 384 members in the Rajya Sabha in the newly constructed building of the Parliament. The joint session of both Houses will be held in the Lok Sabha chamber. 

  • Efforts on to meet deadline for new Parliament building: Sources

    An official said that construction work is continuing on a war-footing level to meet the deadline for the project.

  • Old Parliament ‘unsafe’; new building, Central Vista Avenue to be completed on time: Union Minister Puri

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday said the construction of a new Parliament building and redevelopment of the Central Vista Avenue, stretching from Rashtrapati Bhavan to the India Gate, will be completed in a time-bound manner.

    Both these projects are being executed as part of the Modi government’s ambitious Central Vista redevelopment plan.

    Stressing upon the need of a new Parliament building, the Union housing and urban affairs minister said that the current one is “unsafe” as when it had been constructed, it was in Seismic Zone II, but now that area lies in Seismic Zone IV.

    During an interaction at the ‘India Today Conclave 2021’, Puri said that the existing building, which doesn’t have the capacity to accommodate more parliamentarians, was never designed to be Parliament and it was a council house of a colonial power.

    “The number of members (parliamentarians) has been increasing since we became an Independent country. So, there have been a lot of internal adjustments and new facilities have been added. From a purely structural point of view, it is an unsafe building. 

    “When the building was constructed, it was in Seismic Zone II and today, that area is in Seismic Zone IV. It is not an exaggeration. We don’t want to create panic, but you know you are above pushing the limit,” he said.

    The redevelopment of the Central Vista envisages a new Parliament building, a common central secretariat, revamping of the three-km Rajpath from Rashtrapati Bhavan to the India Gate, a new Prime Minister’s residence and office, and a new Vice President’s Enclave.

    Tata Projects Limited has been constructing a new Parliament building near the existing one under the Central Vista redevelopment project.

    The government said that the winter session of Parliament in December next year will be held in the new building.

    Shapoorji Pallonji and Co Pvt Ltd has been executing the redevelopment of Central Vista Avenue stretching from Rashtrapati Bhavan to the India Gate.

    The government plans to hold the Republic Day parade on the revamped Rajpath next year.

    “These two segments are actually the showcase segment (of the Central Vista redevelopment project),” he said, adding that these two projects will be completed within the time period.

    Besides, the government had floated tenders for the construction of three new buildings of Common Central Secretariat on the plot where the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts is currently located Last month, four infrastructure firms — Tata Projects Limited, Uttar Pradesh Rajkiya Nirman Nigam Ltd, L&T Construction and NCC Ltd — had submitted technical bids for the project.

  • New parliament building necessity, no MP objected when both Houses requested: Speaker Om Birla

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Not a single MP in either Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha had objected to the construction of a new parliament building when a request for it was made by both the Houses to the Centre, Speaker of the lower house Om Birla said on Friday.

    Describing the new Parliament building as a “necessity”, he said though the construction is running 16 days behind schedule, it will be completed by October 2022.

    “We were (initially) 27 days ahead of schedule. But after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic (second wave), the construction is now 16 days behind schedule,” Birla said.

    To questions on construction of a new parliament house at a press conference here, the Lok Sabha speaker said the existing building cannot be expanded and does not cater to the needs of changing times.

    “The existing building is a historical one. Many historic decisions were taken in this building. But it cannot be expanded further and therefore a new building is a necessity,” he said.

    About MPs from opposition parties opposing the project, Birla said it was both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha which had requested the Central government for a new parliament building.

    “When the request for a new parliament building was made by both the houses, no MP had objected to it. No one has approached me opposing it,” Birla said.

    Opposition parties and the BJP are engaged in a political slugfest over the construction of the new building.

    The opposition parties say the project should be stopped to save funds for management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Construction of new Parliament building to start soon as heritage panel gives its nod

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A 14-member heritage panel on Monday gave its approval for construction of a new parliament building under the government’s ambitious Central Vista redevelopment plan, paving the way for the work to start in the next few days.

    The nod by the Heritage Conservation Committee came nearly a week after the Supreme Court asked the Centre to seek prior approval from the panel and other relevant authorities before starting construction of the new parliament building.

    Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said construction of the new Parliament building would not affect the existing structure, which is a heritage one.

    At a press conference here, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra said the committee, headed by the ministry’s additional secretary, granted approval to the construction of the new parliament building after examining and discussing the proposal.

    Asked whether public hearing was mandatory before granting approval, he answered, “No”.

    The panel has officers from different organisations and experts as members.

    Mishra said the committee’s members are the ones who look into what is provided under unified building bylaws based on which they accept or reject a proposal or suggest modifications.

    Work on redevelopment of Rajpath will start soon after this year’s Republic Day parade.

    The work is expected to be completed in the next 10 months and the 2022 Republic Day parade will be held on a redeveloped Rajpath, the housing secretary said.

    On January 5, the Supreme Court cleared the decks for the ambitious Central Vista Project 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 heritage conservation committee and other relevant authorities before start of construction at new sites.

    The redevelopment project of the Central Vista — the nation’s power corridor — envisages a new triangular Parliament building, a common central secretariat and revamping of the three-km-long Rajpath, from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate.

    Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of the new Parliament building where the Lok Sabha chamber will have a seating capacity for 888 members, while the Rajya Sabha will have 384 seats for members.

    The National Emblem will crown the new Parliament building.

    The new Parliament will have six committee rooms to conduct business.

    The government has identified around four locations — in Gole Market, K G Marg near Africa Avenue, and near Talkatora Stadium — in central Delhi for temporary shifting of offices of various ministries.