The center has been working on its plan to construct a new parliament and is set to build it by August 2022 and it is on track, the reports state that the tender for the project of the new parliament will begin after the lockdown is lifted.
The report of “The Hindu” stater that the design of the new parliament is proposed to be triangular and located near the Parliament House, as of now is sufficient for issuing tenders, while the process for the detailed design would run concurrent with the selection of a contractor, HCP Design, Planning and Management said in a written response to a query by “The Hindu”.
The Ahmedabad-based firm had been selected by the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry’s construction agency, the Central Public Works Department, in October 2019 to be its consultant for the revamp of the Central Vista and construction of the new Parliament and the Central Secretariat. Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had said the building would be ready before the Independence Day, 2022.
The HCP further said that he CPWD, the MoHUA, and the consultants were able to work digitally and that there were no major disruptions. It said the initial deadline for completing the building would be met. The tendering process was underway, it said.
Political leaders like Sonia Gandhi have urged the Centre to postpone or cancel the project as the country grapples with the pandemic and its economic impact.
In preparation for the project, the government had changed the land-use for the 9.5-acre plot next to the existing heritage Parliament House on March 20 and applied for environment clearance on February 12. The project has been listed for consideration before the Union Environment Ministry’s expert committee on April 22. While submitting its revised form for clearance on March 12, the CPWD said the project cost had gone up from ₹776 crore to ₹922 crore due to a change in the specifications.
A petition by Rajeev Suri against the change in the land use for the project by the Delhi Development Authority remained pending before the Supreme Court as of Monday.
