Smriti Irani, Scindia hail 'historic' ground-breaking ceremony of new Parliament building

Union Minister Smriti Irani called it a 'historic day' for India as Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid the foundation stone of the new Parliament building. She asserted that the new Parliament building will be a symbol of the country's diverse culture, ancient heritage, rich traditions and vibrant democracy.

Echoing the same sentiment, Dr. Mahesh Sharma, member of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MP Jyotiraditya Scindia, also took to their Twitter handle to hail the big event.

"This is a day of pride for over 130 crore Indians when we are witnessing this historic moment. The new Parliament building is an example of the co-existence of the new and the old. This is an effort to make changes within oneself in accordance with the time and needs," the Prime Minister said. 

Features of the New Parliament building

The new building will have an area of 64,500 square metres. It will also have a grand Constitution Hall to showcase India's democratic heritage, a lounge for members of Parliament, a library, multiple committee rooms, dining areas and ample parking space.

In the new building, the Lok Sabha chamber will have a seating capacity for 888 members, while the Rajya Sabha will have 384 seats for members. The Lok Sabha chamber will have an option to increase its sitting capacity to 1,224 members during joint sessions.

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This has been done keeping in mind the future increase in the number of members for the two houses. At present, Lok Sabha has a sanctioned strength of 543 members and Rajya Sabha 245. In September this year, Tata Projects Limited won the bid to construct the new Parliament building. The new building will be constructed close to the existing one under the Central Vista redevelopment project.

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The existing Parliament House building will be suitably retro-fitted to provide more functional spaces for parliamentary events, to ensure its usage along with the new building.