PM Modi inspects construction of new Parliament building at night | Photos

The new building, which will have an area of 64,500 square metres, is expected to be completed by 2022. The December 2022 session will be held under the new roof, as per plans.

The PM spent almost an hour at the site of the proposed Central Vista project and carried out a first-hand inspection of the construction status of the new Parliament building.

The new parliament building will have a triangular shape. The government plans to hold the monsoon session of Parliament in 2022 in the new building.

The new structure will come up in front of the existing Parliament that was built nearly 94 years ago at a cost of Rs 83 lakh at that time and would eventually be turned into a museum.

The new Parliament building will house larger Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha halls with capacities of 888 seats and 384 seats to accommodate an expanded Parliament after the freeze on its expansion lifts in 2026.

The Lok Sabha Hall will also have an additional capacity, up to 1,272 seats, to host joint sessions.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the new building, being constructed by Tata Projects Ltd, on December 10 last year. The project is estimated to cost Rs 971 crore.

Besides the new Parliament building, the redevelopment of the Central Vista -- the nation's power corridor -- envisages a common central secretariat, revamping of the 3-km Rajpath from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate, new prime minister's residence and prime minister's office, and a new Vice-President Enclave.

According to the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, the entire project will be carried out in a heritage-sensitive manner. The existing documents and artefacts will be moved to upgraded facilities, with modern infrastructure, to ensure their longevity, it has said.

Modi spoke to people involved in the construction as he inspected the ongoing work.

As many as 1,753 new trees will be transplanted and 2,000 tree saplings planted in the Central Vista area under the government's ambitious redevelopment plan, which will increase the overall green cover there.