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Opposition MPs create uproar over flooding in new Parliament building
The Central Public Works Department, under the urban development ministry, clarified and said the issue was addressed immediately.
Opposition MP and Congress whip in the Lok Sabha, Manickam Tagore, moved an adjournment motion in the lower house today, raising the issue of waterlogging in the new Parliament building premises.
Backed by Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, the opposition took to social media to slam the government over the flooding, pointing out cracks and leaks in the relatively new structure in just one day of heavy monsoon showers 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,” Tagore posted on X along with a video of the premises.
Yadav too took to X and said, “People are asking if the water dripping from every new roof constructed under the BJP government is a part of their thought-out design.”
The new Parliament was inaugurated in May last year as part of the Union government’s Central Vista project. Built at a cost of ₹971 crore, the building has time and again been at the centre of controversies, with Opposition leaders reiterating that it was an unnecessary expenditure, wherein the old Parliament house could have been restored instead of constructing a new one.
MPs also debated this in the Rajya Sabha. “The rain last night, which led to leaks and standing water within the Parliament that was inaugurated just a year ago, shows how well the ministry of housing and urban affairs is doing,” Chaturvedi said in the upper house.
Meanwhile, Union parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi said, “It is a huge building, there may be some issues that will be rectified by the concerned authorities.”
The Central Public Works Department, under the urban development ministry, clarified and said, “The heat of unprecedented summer followed by very intense rain eroded silicon from a glass joint on Lok Sabha lobby skylight creating a small issue. It was addressed immediately. Structural integrity, waterproofing, etc., are in good condition.”
“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 utilised 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 problem was, however, detected timely and corrective measures were taken immediately,” the Lok Sabha secretariat said in a statement on Thursday.
