According to government sources, "the Central Public Works Department has ordered Tata Projects Ltd to begin construction work on the new parliament building on January 15 since it is considered auspicious to begin such a project on the day of the first sunrise following Makar Sankranti." Tata Projects Ltd is building the new structure. The company's website states that the estimated cost is $150 million (Rs 700 crore). The current parliament building was built in 2004-05 at a cost of $125 million (Rs 600 crore). It has 24 rooms including 12 reserved for members of Parliament.
The new building will have 50 rooms in total with an area of about 20,000 square meters (230,000 sq ft). It is expected to be completed in four years since the last session of the 13th Lok Sabha is scheduled to end in May 2013.
The current parliament building was constructed after India gained independence in 1947. The original plan was prepared by British architect Edwin Lutyens who also designed New Delhi and other famous buildings in India. But due to financial constraints, his design had to be modified by Indian architects I. K. Gujral and Raj Rewari. The final approval to go ahead with the project came from then president Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy in February 2005. It was originally planned to complete the building by 2008 but this could not be done due to lack of funds. Finally, the building was inaugurated by then prime minister Manmohan Singh on November 17, 2010.
The new Indian Parliament House
New Indian parliament building, New Delhi | |
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Country | India |
Groundbreaking | 1 October 2020 |
Construction started | 10 December 2020 |
Completed | October 2022 (planned) |
The new Indian Parliament House
New parliament building, India | |
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General information | |
Completed | July 2022 (planned) |
Cost | ₹20,000 crore (US$2.8 billion) |
Client | Government of India |
The Six Construction Stages
The present Parliament House's foundation stone was set on February 12, 1921, and the building took six years and cost Rs 83 lakh at the time. On January 18, 1927, the then-Governor-General of India, Lord Irwin, performed the opening ceremony.
It is a national monument and a major tourist attraction in Delhi. The building is also used as a parliament house.
Its construction was supervised by Sir Edwin Lutyens, who designed it in collaboration with his cousin George Frederick Lawrence. It is built out of white marble from Rajasthan and has extensive use of glass and steel. The main entrance hall is covered by a dome made of Canadian maple. Inside the house, there are halls, corridors, and rooms for meetings and workshops. There are three chambers: the Senate Chamber which can hold 450 people; the House of Representatives where members sit on red chairs or sofas; and the Queen's Gallery where visitors can see pictures of all former British monarchs.
In addition to being the capital city of India, Delhi is also its largest metropolitan area with a population of around 20 million people. It is estimated that about 15 percent of the total land area of Delhi is occupied by buildings, most of them government offices. The city has been described as one of the least livable in the world by various publications including The Economist and Trip Advisor.
A construction plan guarantees that the structure complies with all building codes. Once the building plan has been authorized, the builder shall begin construction work within two years, with no deviations from the approved plan. If construction is not started within this time, the plan may be revoked by the code official.
The building permit application process varies depending on the type of building. The most common types of buildings are listed below. Each type of building requires a different number of permits and can't be completed without them. For example, an addition to a house needs a new water meter, electric meter, and sewer tap-in fee. Without these permits, the building wouldn't be legal. It's important to check with the city or county government agency responsible for issuing permits before you start construction.
Houses usually require only one or two permits. A house plan must be approved by a code official before any construction can begin. After the foundation is poured, the plan can be altered if needed, but the change must be submitted as a new permit application.
Condos require at least three permits. A floor plan must be approved by a code official before any concrete can be poured. This prevents changes from being made to the structure once it has been certified as safe for occupancy. Any major changes to the plan need to be resubmitted as a new permit application.
On September 18, 1980, Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser formally broke ground on Capital Hill. On May 9, 1988, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II officially inaugurated Parliament House. Ten thousand people worked on the building's construction, which was nearly completely made of Australian resources. The total cost was estimated at $150 million (USD).
Parliament House is the meeting place of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The building consists of a government section, known as the Parliamentary Wing, and an administrative section called the Civic Centre. The two sections are connected by a skywalk called the Grand Staircase.
The Parliamentary Wing houses the Senate along with its public galleries and dining room. It is also where most of the parliamentary sittings take place. The oldest part of the building is the Italian Renaissance-style Old Federal Courtroom, which was built in 1825. Other historic buildings on the hill include the Victorian-era Foreign Affairs Building and the modern Treasury Building. The latter two are not open to the public.
The Civic Centre is home to most of the other federal departments. It also contains the iconic red-sandstone Commonwealth Avenue, which leads up to the National Portrait Gallery and the Senate Gardens.
There are several ways to reach Parliament House. By car, it is about 15 minutes from Melbourne's central business district.
The building's construction began in June 1999, and the first discussion in the new building was conducted on September 7, 2004 by Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the building on October 9, 2004.
She began her visit to Scotland with a tour of the parliament buildings, then went on to meet some of the 250,000 people who had turned out to see her. The two-day visit was the longest ever by a British monarch.
During her stay in Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth II also visited St. Giles' Cathedral, the Royal Botanic Garden, and the National Museum of Scotland. She concluded her visit to Scotland with a trip to Northern Ireland, where she met with Prime Minister Tony Blair and President Mary McAleese.
In November 2009, it was reported that the new building was costing £150 million ($220 million) to complete. The original estimate was put at £80 million ($120 million). The final bill will be paid for by taxpayers through their local councils. It is thought that every council in Scotland will have to find an extra £1.5 million each year for ten years to pay for the new building.
Architect Sir Norman Foster has been praised for his design which includes three separate domed structures connected by bridges, with rooms inside allowing MSPs to work in relative privacy.