Dr Karan Singh requests Vice President not to abandon Parliament building

Former Rajya Sabha member and Congress leader Dr Karan Singh on Monday wrote to Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, requesting him not to consider abandoning the existing Parliament building for a new one.

"I am of the confirmed opinion that the beautiful, unique, round Parliament building that we have, should, on no account, be abandoned. We will never be able to build such a structure again, and to shift into a modern building will deprive us of the special ambience of the old one," wrote Dr Singh.

He further indicated that the unnecessary offices and materials could be shifted out of the present building and the halls could be extended to accommodate more members.

Singh suggested that the Lok Sabha could be shifted to the Central Hall where the Constituent Assembly met for several years.

"The Rajya Sabha could be shifted into the Lok Sabha hall, and its old hall could be used as a Central Hall-type lounge for members. This would be far better than abandoning this magnificent building, which is redolent with history and the memory of our great Constitution makers and Parliamentarians," he wrote.

Vice President Naidu on August 5 had said that a request would be made to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to undertake the modernisation of the Parliament House.

On the need to modernise the Parliament complex, Naidu had said that the Parliament building has become quite old and during his tenure as Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, he had held meetings on the prospective modernisation of the parliament premises.

"I want to assure the public that the parliament's sovereignty will be held intact. The country's most sacred institution's responsibility has increased and has raised the expectations of the people too. The parliament should become even grander," Naidu had said.

The Parliament House was designed in 1912-13 by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker. The construction of the building began in 1921 and was completed in 1927.