India's new Parliament building leaks: Congress MP files adjournment motion

Rainwater leakage in new Parliament building: Congress MP Manickam Tagore shared a video of water leaks inside the lobby caused by heavy rainfall in New Delhi on Wednesday

This story is has been updated.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore has submitted an adjournment motion notice in the Lok Sabha over "water leaks" inside the Parliament. The notice, filed on Thursday (August 1), proposes the formation of a "specialised committee" to inspect the Parliament building. The Congress MP has also shared a video of water leaks inside the lobby caused by heavy rainfall on Wednesday.

Paper leakage outside,
water leakage inside. The recent water leakage in the Parliament lobby used by the President highlights urgent weather resilience issues in the new building, just a year after completion.
Moving Adjournment motion on this issue in Loksabha. #Parliament pic.twitter.com/kNFJ9Ld21d

— Manickam Tagore .B????????மாணிக்கம் தாகூர்.ப (@manickamtagore) August 1, 2024

In the notice, Tagore has said that he wants to raise the issue of “water leaks inside the Parliament lobby along the path used by our President of India when entering the new Parliament building." The Virudhunagar MP added that the incident highlights potential issues with the building's weather resilience, just one year after its completion.

"To address this, I propose forming a specialised committee, including MPs from all parties, to inspect the building thoroughly. The committee will focus on the causes of the leaks, evaluate the design and materials, and recommend necessary repairs. Additionally, it should establish a maintenance protocol and ensure transparency by publicly sharing its findings," reads the adjournment motion notice.

In a similar vein, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, in a post on X, said, "The old Parliament was better than this new one, where even the former MPs could visit. Why not return to the old Parliament until the issues with the new one, built with billions of rupees, are resolved?"

 

The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister added, "People are questioning whether the water dripping from every new roof constructed under the BJP government is part of their well-thought-out design or something else."

इस नई संसद से अच्छी तो वो पुरानी संसद थी, जहाँ पुराने सांसद भी आकर मिल सकते थे। क्यों न फिर से पुरानी संसद चलें, कम-से-कम तब तक के लिए, जब तक अरबों रुपयों से बनी संसद में पानी टपकने का कार्यक्रम चल रहा है।

जनता पूछ रही है कि भाजपा सरकार में बनी हर नई छत से पानी टपकना, उनकी… pic.twitter.com/PpJ36k6RJm

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) August 1, 2024

The new Parliament building experienced water leakage issues after Delhi received 147.5 mm rainfall on Wednesday.

It is worth mentioning that a few days ago, Manickam Tagore had submitted another adjournment motion notice in the Lok Sabha, demanding a discussion over the alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

Leakage in Parliament: 'Corrective measures taken'

Issuing a statement over media reports on water leakage in the new Parliament building, Lok Sabha Secretariat (press and public relations wing) said, "Keeping in view the concept of Green Parliament, glass domes have been provided in several parts of the Building, including in the Lobby, so that abundant natural light could be utilized in day to day work of the Parliament.  During the heavy rain on Wednesday, the adhesive material used to fix the glass domes over the Lobby of the Building was slightly displaced, causing minor leakage of water in the Lobby."

The statement added, "The problem was, however, detected timely and corrective measures were taken immediately. Thereafter, no further leakage of water has been noticed.  Similarly, accumulated water opposite Makar Dwar also got drained out quickly."

New Parliament building: Construction cost, timeline & more

Designed with a projected lifespan of over 150 years, the new Parliamentary building was constructed to address the challenges of the old building. Architecture firm, HCP Design, Planning and Management Pvt Ltd led the project with Bimal Patel as the architect.

The total area for the new Parliament is 64,500 square metres. It covers an area of 20,866 square metres, including a 2,000 square metre open-sky area for a magnificent banyan tree.

According to the official Central Vista website, the construction used 26,045 MT steel, 63,807 MT cement, and around 9,689 cubic metres worth of fly ash. The construction of the Parliamentary building also reportedly generated 2.3 million man-days of employment.

This project was built at an estimated cost of Rs 971 crore. The main structure was finished by August 28, 2022, while the entire project was completed on May 20, 2023. On May 28, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Parliament Building amid religious rituals.