‘Sceptrecular’ opening today of new Parliament building

Highlights:

♦ The triangular-shaped four-storey building has a built-up area of 64,500 sq m

♦ It has three main gates -- Gyan Dwar, Shakti Dwar, and Karma Dwar

♦ Teakwood sourced from Nagpur in Maharashtra

♦ Red and white sandstone procured from Sarmathura, Kesharia green stone from Udaipur, red granite from Lakha near Ajmer and the white marble from Ambaji in Rajasthan

♦ Steel structure for false ceilings in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha chambers sourced from Daman and Diu

♦ Furniture crafted in Mumbai. The stone 'jaali' works dotting the building sourced from Rajnagar in Rajasthan and Noida in Uttar Pradesh

♦ The materials for the Ashoka Emblem sourced from Aurangabad in Maharashtra and Jaipur

♦ Ashok Chakra donning the massive walls of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha chambers and the exteriors of the parliament building procured from Indore

♦ The new parliament building used manufactured sand or M-sand from Charkhi Dadri in Haryana for creating concrete mix for the construction activities

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday will inaugurate the new Parliament building, equipped with state-of-the-art technology, amid a boycott by several Opposition parties which insist that President Droupadi Murmu as head of the state should do the honours.

On Friday, Modi said the new Parliament building will make every Indian proud and shared a video of the new complex. With carpets from Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh, bamboo flooring from Tripura and stone carvings from Rajasthan, the new Parliament building reflects India's diverse culture. 'Sengol', a historical sceptre from Tamil Nadu which was received by first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to represent transfer of power from the British and was kept in a museum in Allahabad, will be installed in the new Parliament building.

It will be placed near the chair of Lok Sabha Speaker in the House chamber. But amid a boycott by 20 opposition parties of the inauguration ceremony, the Sengol too was dragged into the political row. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday claimed there was no documented evidence of Lord Mountbatten, C Rajagopalachari and Nehru describing the Sengol as a symbol of transfer of power by the British to India.

The Congress' stand on the Sengol evoked a strong reaction from Home Minister Amit Shah who said the party needs to "reflect" on its behaviour as he denounced its claim that there was no evidence of the Sengol being a symbol of transfer of power by the British to India in 1947.

To mark the event, the government will issue a commemorative Rs 75 coin. According to a gazette notification by Department of Economic Affairs under the finance ministry, the weight of this coin could be 34.65-35.35 gram. One side of the coin will bear the image of Lion Capital of Ashoka Pillar in the centre flanked by the word 'Bharat' in Devnagri script and 'INDIA' in English, it said. Rupee symbol '?' and denominational value '75' in international numeral will also be inscribed below the Lion Capital. The other side of the coin shall bear the image of Parliament Complex, and the year '2023' in international numeral below the image. The new Parliament building, constructed by Tata Projects Ltd, will have a grand constitution hall to showcase India's democratic heritage, a lounge for MPs, a library, multiple committee rooms, dining areas and ample parking space. "In a way, the entire country came together to construct the temple of democracy, thus reflecting the true spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat," an official said.