- By Shivam Shandilya
- Sun, 28 May 2023 08:58 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
New Parliament Inauguration: India is all set to get a new parliament on May 28, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The present parliament is witness to intense debates, a building that saw historic legislation that has shaped the country over years, a place where many laws were passed and again taken back due to the strong opposition of the people. It saw the first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, to the present-day de facto head, Narendra Modi. The building that is associated with all-time stories from Ramdhari Singh Dinkar to Javed Akhtar It actually saw India shaping itself over the past sixty years.
But, as the new parliament will be inaugurated on Sunday, the question amid the shift to the new is about the usability of the older one.
Will the existing parliament be demolished or renovated?
There are several media reports that claim it might be turned into a museum.
In 2021, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told the Upper House of Parliament that once the new parliament building was ready for use, the existing one would be repaired and made available for alternative use. However, no comprehensive thought has yet been given to what use it should be put to.
According to the government, the old Parliament building will not be demolished, reports India Today. It will be conserved as it is an asset of the country that has seen India right from independence to the present day. It might be renovated so that more functional spaces can be provided for parliamentary functions.
According to a 2022 media report as quoted by India Today, a part of the existing Parliament building may also be converted into a museum, a plan that was envisaged by the Union government as a part of the redevelopment of the Central Vista. If it is converted into a museum and opened to the public, visitors may actually sit in the current Lok Sabha chamber, the report stated.
A report by the Deccan Herald also says that the national archive will be shifted to the new parliament building for heritage-sensitive restoration and refurbishment for future use. This will further provide the existing Parliament building with more space. The National Museum, National Archives of India, and Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) currently hold all paintings, sculptures, manuscripts, collections, and other significant heritage and cultural objects.
Built at a cost of Rs 970 crore, the new Parliament building is expected to host the forthcoming monsoon session in July. It is triangular-shaped and built on an area of 64,500 square metres. It is a 4-storey structure and can house 1,224 MPs.