New Parliament Building’s Cost Likely To Increase By Rs 200 Cr, CPWD Expected To Get Approval: Report

According to PTI sources, the project cost of the new Parliament building is expected to be around Rs 1,200 crore after the enhancement.

New Delhi: The estimated project cost of the new Parliament building may increase by more than Rs 200 crore owing to higher expenditure on steel, electronics, and other works, news agency PTI reported sources as saying on Thursday.

They further revealed that the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) is expected to get the Lok Sabha Secretariat’s approval for the enhancement.

Earlier this month, the CPWD, the nodal agency for the construction of the new parliament building, had sought in-principal approval of the LS Secretariat for the cost enhancement, the sources told news agency PTI.

“The Lok Sabha Secretariat received a request from CPWD seeking an in-principal approval proposal for enhancement in the cost of construction of new parliament building earlier this month and it is likely to get approval,” PTI quoted a source as saying.

According to PTI sources, the project is expected to cost around Rs 1,200 crore after the enhancement.

The project for constructing the new Parliament building was awarded to the Tata Projects in 2020 for Rs 971 crore. The government had set an October 2022 deadline for the building and aimed to hold this year’s winter session in the new building.

The PTI sources revealed that the CPWD has given reasons behind the expected rise in the cost which include higher cost of steel as building is now constructed as per the norms of seismic zone 5.

The cost for electronics is also expected to rise as provisions are being made also for a modern audio-visual system, including tablets on the tables of MPs in both Houses of Parliament, the CPWD stated, as per the sources.

Similarly, they said, high-end technology devices are being considered for use in meeting rooms and chambers of ministers.

Another reason cited is that the project developer needs to comply with several directives of the Supreme Court such as all the earth excavated from the project site has to be transported to the proposed Eco Park in Badarpur and not sold.

Current Parliament Building ‘Unsafe’

Last year, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri had stressed the need for a new Parliament building as he said that the current one is “unsafe”. He stated that the building had been constructed when it was in Seismic Zone II, but now that area lies in Seismic Zone IV.

He pointed out 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 had said, as quoted by PTI.

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.

(With Agency Inputs)