The Parliament premises, now comprising New Building christened as Sansad Bhawan and the Old Parliament rechristened as Samvidhan Sadan, will sport a new look when the 18th Lok Sabha convenes for its maiden session shortly. After the beginning of New Parliament in September 2023, work was underway to integrate the entire complex, comprising four different buildings when the country witnessed the process of just concluded three months spanning Lok Sabha polls.
Several measures have been taken to welcome the members and ensure their seamless registration as the Lok Sabha Secretariat got ready to welcome MPs of the new Lok Sabha.
Secretary General, Lok Sabha, Utpal Kumar Singh, conducted an inspection of the preparations and is monitoring the arrangements on a day to day basis.
With a view to reducing the paperwork and making the registration formalities of members seamless, the registration process of the newly elected members shall be done through an online integrated software application. Members would not be required to sign multiple physical forms with various branches. While welcoming the members, the Secretariat will provide each member with a set of publications relating to the Constitution of India, rules, directions and some other useful publications in hard copies. Besides, a few other publications will be provided to members in a soft version.
As part of the redevelopment of external areas, the statues of national icons, including those of Mahatma Gandhi, Chhatrapati Shivaji and Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, have been moved to a lawn near gate number 5 of the old Parliament building, which has been named as Samvidhan Sadan. This has paved the way for the creation of a vast lawn in front of the Gaja Dwar, which is used by the President and the Prime Minister to enter into the new Parliament building.
The lawn can now also be used for official ceremonies such as the President's address to the joint sitting of Parliament, usually during the Budget Session.
The Parliament complex comprises four buildings - Parliament Building, Samvidhan Sadan, Parliament Library and the Parliament Annexe — with each structure having its own distinct surroundings and security set-ups.
Earlier, the movement of vehicles within the complex was difficult, particularly during Parliament sessions, leading to blockades within the complex. The Parliament Library building and the Annexe are separated by a road that has a reception office and a row of barracks, housing security offices along a compound wall.
The statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar is located inside the Parliament complex and thousands of visitors throng the premises to pay tributes to him on his birth and death anniversaries. The Red Cross Road outside the Parliament premises will also become a part of the complex as there are plans to develop offices for Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members on the land which currently houses the International Red Cross Society.
The row of barracks has been vacated and plans are also being made to demolish the compound wall separating the Parliament buildings from the Annexe. These offices have been shifted to the North Utility Block of the new Parliament building.
