India’s New Parliament House

• 30 May 2023

For Prelims: India’s New Parliament House, Central Vista project, Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, Earthquake, Foucault Pendulum, Sengol.

For Mains: Need for India’s New Parliament House.

Why in News?

Recently, the Indian Prime Minister has inaugurated India’s new Parliament building, part of the revamped Central Vista project.

• The construction of the new building, designed by Architect Bimal Patel, began in 2019.

What is the Need for New Parliament Building?

• Narrow Seating Space for MPs:
  • The old building was never designed to accommodate a bicameral legislature for a full-fledged democracy. The number of Lok Sabha seats is likely to increase significantly from the current 545 after 2026, when the freeze on the total number of seats lifts.
• Distressed Infrastructure:
  • The addition of services like water supply and sewer lines, air-conditioning, firefighting equipment, CCTV cameras, etc., have led to seepage of water at several places and impacted the aesthetics of the building.
  • Fire safety is a major concern at the building, the official site says.
• Obsolete Communication Structures:
  • Communications infrastructure and technology was antiquated in the old Parliament, and the acoustics of all the halls need improvement.
• Safety Concerns:
  • The old Parliament building was built when Delhi was in Seismic Zone-II; currently it is in Seismic Zone-V. This raises structural safety concerns.
• Inadequate Workspace for Employees:
  • Over the years, inner service corridors were converted into offices which resulted in poor-quality workspaces. In many cases, these workspaces were made even smaller by creating sub-partitions to accommodate more workers.

What are the Key Points Related to the New Parliament?

• Triangular Shape:
  • The new building is triangular in shape, mostly because the plot of land that it is built on is a triangle.
  • The new building's design is influenced by sacred geometry found in various religions. Its design and materials are meant to complement the old Parliament, with the two buildings expected to function as one complex.
• Environment Friendly:
  • Built using green construction techniques, the new building is supposed to reduce electricity consumption by 30%, compared to the old one.
  • Rainwater-harvesting and water-recycling systems have been included. It has been designed to be more space efficient and meant to function for the next 150 years.
• Earthquake-Safe:
  • Since Delhi is in seismic zone-V, the building is primed to be Earthquake-safe.
• Lok Sabha:
  • The new Lok Sabha chamber has a peacock theme, with designs drawn from the national bird’s feathers carved on the walls and ceiling, complemented by teal carpets.
    • The Lok Sabha chamber will have 888 seats, up from the existing 543, with the option of expanded seating up to 1,272. The Lok Sabha will be used for joint sittings of both Houses in the absence of a Central Hall, which was the fulcrum of the old building.
• Rajya Sabha:
  • The Rajya Sabha chamber has been decorated with the lotus as its theme, with red carpets.
  • In both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, two MPs will be able to sit on one bench and each MP will have a touch screen on the desk.
    • The Rajya Sabha chamber can accommodate 384 Members of Parliament (MPs), as opposed to the existing capacity of 250. The increased capacity of both chambers is meant to cater to any future increase in the number of MPs following Delimitation.
• Constitution Hall:
  • The new building has a Constitution Hall, where the journey of Indian democracy has been documented.
• Material from across India:
  • For the interior and exterior of the building, construction materials have been brought in from across the country, including sandstone from Sarmathura in Dholpur and granite from Lakha village in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
  • Similarly, the wood used in the decor is from Nagpur and craftsmen from Mumbai have led the wooden architecture design.
  • Bhadohi weavers from Uttar Pradesh have made the traditional hand-knotted carpets for the building.
• Gandhi Statue:
  • The 16-foot-tall bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi, originally placed at the main entrance of Parliament in 1993, has been relocated between the old and new buildings.
  • It now faces the old building, near the entrance used by the Lok Sabha Speaker. The statue has been a significant site for protests, gatherings, and photo-ops for students and Members of Parliament.
    • It was created by renowned sculptor Ram V Sutar, a recipient of the Padma Bhushan award.
• National Symbols:
  • The building is replete with national symbols, including the national emblem — the Lion Capital of Ashoka — that weighs 9,500 kg and is 6.5 metres in height, and is visible from a distance.
  • To support this massive bronze sculpture, a structure of 6,500 kg was constructed on top of the central foyer. At the entrance, the Ashoka chakra and the words ‘Satyameva Jayate’ have been carved in stone.
• Golden Sceptre:
  • A golden sceptre (Sengol), given to Jawaharlal Nehru on the eve of Independence to mark the transfer of power from the British, will sit in the new Lok Sabha chamber, near the Speaker’s podium. This sceptre was given to him by priests from Tamil Nadu.
• Going Digital:
  • In line with the environment-friendly focus of the new Parliament, all records — House proceedings, questions and other business — are being digitised. Besides, tablets and iPads will become a norm.
• Galleries in the Building:
  • A gallery called ‘Shilp’ will exhibit textile installations from across India, along with pottery items made from the mitti of all Indian states. The gallery ‘Sthapatya’ will exhibit the iconic monuments of India, including those from the different states and UTs. Besides monuments, it also amalgamates yoga asanas.
• Vaastu Shastra:
  • At all the entrances of the building, auspicious animals as guardian statues will be exhibited, based on their importance in Indian culture and vaastu shastra. These include the elephant, the horse, the eagle, the swan, and mythical creatures shardula and makara.
• Foucault Pendulum:
  • A Foucault pendulum installed inside the new Parliament building. At the latitude of Parliament, it takes 49 hours, 59 minutes and 18 seconds to complete one rotation.
    • The Foucault pendulum, named after French physicist Léon Foucault, is used to demonstrate the earth’s rotation.
  • The pendulum consists of a heavy bob suspended at the end of a long, strong wire from a fixed point in the ceiling. As the pendulum swings, the imaginary surface across which the wire and the bob swipe is called the plane of the swing.

Central Vista

• The Central Vista of New Delhi houses Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament House, North and South Block, India Gate, National Archives among others.
• In December 1911, King George V made an announcement in Delhi Durbar (a grand assembly) to shift the capital of India from Calcutta to Delhi.
  • Delhi Durbar was hosted to mark the coronation of King George V.
• The task of constructing a new city was given to Edwin Lutyens, known for his strong adherence to European Classicism and Herbert Baker, a prominent architect in South Africa.
  • Herbert Baker is also the architect of the Union buildings at Pretoria, South Africa.
• The Parliament House building was designed by both Lutyens and Baker.
• Rashtrapati Bhavan was designed by Edwin Lutyens.
• The Secretariat, which includes both north and south blocks was designed by Herbert Baker.

Source: IE