The Centre is planning on changing the skyline of the historic seat of power in New Delhi, with a new or completely retrofitted Parliament building, one common Central Secretariat for all Ministries, after the demolition of existing office buildings and redevelopment of the 3km Central Vista that stretches from Rashtrapati Bhawan to India Gate.

Ambitious project

The ambitious project of the Narendra Modi government was set in motion with the publication of a request for proposal (RFP) by the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry’s Central Public Works Department (CPWD) on September 2. Design and architecture firms — both domestic and foreign — were invited to a pre-bid meeting on Thursday, ahead of the last date for submission of bids on September 23, according to the RFP document and sources in the Ministry.

By the time India celebrates its 75th Independence Day on August 15, 2022, the government is aiming to have a brand new Parliament building in the vicinity of the existing one or a retro-fitted version of the British-built building, Ministry sources said.

A source said the demand for a Parliament building that would be modern and accommodate offices for all MPs had been raised by legislators, with the most recent being statements by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu.

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