New Delhi: Specialised lighting effects, enhanced landscaping and natural stone pavement are some of the features being added to the Prerna Sthal in Parliament complex to improve accessibility and visual appeal, officials familiar with the matter said.
Inaugurated in June 2024, the Prerna Sthal is a dedicated area in the Parliament complex for statues of the titans of the country. It houses 15 statues of national icons and freedom fighters that were earlier spread across the entire complex. After the construction of the new Parliament building, authorities decided to install all statues in this dedicated area.
The move, however, drew criticism from opposition parties who argued that iconic statues, including those of Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar, had been relocated to a secluded corner behind the Parliament Library Building, away from public view. These new measures, initiated under the supervision of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, aim to make Prerna Sthal more accessible and provide better public visibility, the officials said.
To revamp the complex, two short stone boundary walls that segregated the area have been removed. While initial plans involved paving the entire ground with stone, authorities later reduced the amount of stone pavement to expand the green lawns.
{{/usCountry}}To revamp the complex, two short stone boundary walls that segregated the area have been removed. While initial plans involved paving the entire ground with stone, authorities later reduced the amount of stone pavement to expand the green lawns.
{{/usCountry}}“As a result, the increased green area will facilitate the percolation of rain water resulting in rainwater harvesting. Gentle landscaping has been added and the old temporary cabins for security forces—the structures that were irritants in the whole landscaping plan—have been removed from the site and some porta cabins, considered necessary for security, have been painted green to camouflage with the green environment,” said an official, who didn’t want to be named.
According to another official, a curved track will be created for visitors, and special lighting effects have been added to provide an added dimension. Planned water bodies, however, were removed in the final stage of development.
In addition to the Gandhi and Ambedkar statues, the complex features statues of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Birsa Munda, Maharana Pratap, Rani Chennamma, Lala Lajpat Rai, Motilal Nehru, Basaveshwara, and Devi Lal, among others. The Ambedkar statue, installed in the Parliament complex in 1967, remains the oldest statue in Prerna Sthal.