New parliament plan: Twin-sharing seat, many aisles

NEW DELHI: The two legislative chambers in the new parliament building will have a seating arrangement similar to the Maharashtra assembly, where rows would be separated from each other by seats for two to facilitate easier movement for MPs.

At present, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha chambers have longer rows. In the new chambers planned, a third person could be accommodated in case of a joint sitting of Houses. The new building is part of the mega central vista redevelopment plan.

Since the beginning, joint sittings of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have been held in Parliament’s Central Hall as neither chamber has the capacity to seat all MPs. The planned Lok Sabha chamber, however, will be able to accommodate up to 1,300 people, said a senior official involved in the planning.


“At present, 8-10 MPs sit in a row. If one arrives late or leaves early, one has to cross several colleagues with much difficulty,” the official said. The last two rows in the Lok Sabha were added later and there are seats behind the pillars. “The pillars obstruct the view of the presiding officer. Overall it is a cramped House,” the official said.

Even if the strength of the Lok Sabha is increased to match the population ratio, the planned chamber would have the capacity to seat the additional members. “Though the bench would seat two MPs, it would have the effective space for a third person. This is why we plan not to have individual seats,” the official said.

One of the major hurdles in redevelopment of central vista relates to demolition of buildings. According to a source, the National Archives will not be moved but the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, an autonomous institution under the culture ministry, would be shifted. The redevelopment plan of the central vista includes extension of the area till the banks of the Yamuna through a series of pedestrian walkways and cycle paths that would lead to a ‘New India Garden’, the design for which would be selected through competition. Though the urban affairs ministry has been silent about the project cost, estimates of the Central Public Works Department had pegged it at Rs 6,000 crore eight years back. “We hope to bring down the cost with competitive bidding and given the prestige linked to the project,” said a senior official.