PM Modi visits new Parliament building site at night for first-hand inspection

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who returned from a 3-day US visit on Sunday, made a surprise visit to the construction site of the new parliament building in New Delhi. The Prime Minister reached the site without prior intimation and security detail.

PM Modi reached the construction site at 8:45 pm, spent almost an hour and conducted a first-hand inspection of the construction status of the new parliament building. The new building is part of the Central Vista project.

The construction of the building is expected to be completed in the second half of the next year. He spoke to people involved in the construction as he inspected the ongoing work, official sources said.

Government officials have said that Parliament's winter session in 2022 will be held in the new building. The new parliament 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 government has so far spent Rs 238 crore and Rs 63 crore for the construction of a new Parliament building and the redevelopment of Centre Vista Avenue.

Also, the redevelopment of Central Vista Avenue stretching from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate will cost Rs 608 crore and the project is expected to be completed by November this year, he said.

According to the government, the estimated costs to be incurred on these two projects for the financial year 2021-22 is Rs 1,289 crore.

Earlier, the government had said the ongoing Central Vista redevelopment project, which includes the construction of 10 new Secretariat buildings, would lead to a saving of Rs 1,000 crore in the form of rent for government offices.

The redevelopment project of the Central Vista -- the nation''s power corridor -- envisages a new triangular Parliament building, a common central secretariat, revamping of the three-km-long Rajpath, from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate, new prime minister residence and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), and new Vice President Enclave.