New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for new Parliament building and will perform ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ on December 10.

“On December 10, the Prime Minister will perform Bhumi Pujan for the new state-of-the-art Parliament building,” Lok Sabha Speaker Birla told media.

Last week, Birla along with officials had taken a round of the building to assess the site for foundation laying ceremony.

“It was to formally invite PM Narendra Modi for foundation laying ceremony and ‘Bhumi Pujan’ of the new Parliament that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla went to meet the Prime Minister,” said a senior official.

New Parliament can accommodate 888 members

The construction will begin this month in which the Lok Sabha chamber will have seating capacity for 888 members against present strength of 543 members whereas Rajya Sabha chamber will be able to accommodate 384 seats against current strength of 245 members.

The maximum capacity for Lok Sabha chamber is expected to be of 1272 seats for joint sittings.

Secretary-general Utpal Kumar Singh while taking charge of his new office informed that the agencies will try and finish the construction within less than two years so that 75th year of Indian independence can be commemorated in the new Parliament.

This will be built in an area of 64,500 sq.m at an expense of Rs 971 crores. Tata Projects Ltd has been given the contract for the project. The design has been prepared by HCP Design, Planning and Management Pvt Ltd: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla https://t.co/IAPTh0D1VF pic.twitter.com/SGJkLjvG77

— ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2020

The proposed built-up area of the new building is estimated to be 64500 square metres. HCP Design, Planning and Management Private Limited has won the contract of building new Central vista and Parliament building that will have four floors with separate access for President, Prime Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker, Rajya Sabha chairperson, Members of Parliament and public.

With construction expected to start this month and Parliament session expected next month, the secretariat stated that all measures have been taken after consultations with agencies to ensure there would be no air or noise pollution.

The new building will be equipped with digital interfaces to create a paperless office.

Apart from the offices of MPs and ministries, the new building will have a Constitution hall to showcase the original Constitution. The officials inform that big statues that adorn the space between house and entry of Parliament will also get relocated as per the design.