Parliament renovation: Lok Sabha Speaker plans to seek views of all stakeholders

NEW DELHI: “There will never be great architects or great architecture without great patrons,” Edwin Lutyens had said. Nearly a century after he, along with Herbert Baker, designed the Parliament building , there are murmurs amid its winding corridors and sandstone columns about a new complex, raising several eyebrows.

With CPWD raising concerns about maintenance of the 85-year-old structure, Speaker Meira Kumar is planning to seek suggestions from all stakeholders. “Our Parliament House is a historical building with heritage character... Based on the CPWD’s concerns about its maintenance, I would like to involve all stakeholders in giving ideas and suggestions for a long-term vision,” Kumar told ET.

The debate over the need for a new building was triggered after CPWD expressed concern about maintenance of the Parliament building and sought a year or two for carrying out repairs. Kumar pointed out that she had constituted a high-level Heritage Committee in 2009 to look into all matters related to its preservation and maintenance.

The panel includes deputy chairperson of Rajya Sabha, home minister and urban development minister as ex-officio members. Others in the panel are Meira Kumar, LK Advani, Sudip Bandyopadhyay , RS Singh, Rewati Raman Singh and Karan Singh. The panel may take up the concerns raised by CPWD.