Govt starts scouting new locations for Parliament complex

IN HER DECEMBER 2015 LETTER TO NAIDU, THE SPEAKER HAD SAID THAT THERE WAS AN ‘IMPERATIVE NEED’ FOR A NEW BUILDING

The government has finally started scouting for a location for the new Parliament complex and the Centre’s public works body has suggested three places, not too far from the British-era structure built in 1927.

The move comes over a year after Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan wrote to the Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu, requesting him to look for an alternative location as the existing building was showing “signs of distress and over-utilisation.”

In her December 2015 letter to Naidu, the Speaker had said that there was an “imperative need” for a new building.”

Mahajan said, over the years the complex has run out of space to meet the requirement of staff and security personnel.

Naidu will be meeting the Speaker soon to discuss the feasibility of the locations shortlisted by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).

All the three sites that have been identified are six acre plots, similar to the existing one where Parliament stands.

“While one of the plots is in the ment, the other two are located between South Block and Sena Bhawan,” said a government official privy to the development.

However, UD ministry officials admit that finalising a location to build the new Parliament will take time. “It will require deliberations with all stakeholders. We have to have a consensus,” Naidu told HT.

Naidu was to meet the Speaker to discuss the matter last week but the meeting got re-scheduled.

Apart from a space crunch, the 88-year-old building has not got the mandatory safety clearance from the Delhi fire department for at least a decade because of encroachment and illegal construction.

Following two minor fire incidents in 2015, the fire department refused to issue a safety certificate to the heritage structure on the grounds that there were several prohibited structures block

The selfie is the calling card of this age. The self-portrait sometimes criticised as narcissistic has found a novel use – as a disciplinary tool in Uttar Pradesh.

Teachers at 140 governmentrun primary and upper primary schools in Naugarh area of Chandauli have been reporting for work on time after the district administration launched an “attendance-with-selfie” drive in the first week of February.

As soon as they get to school, teachers take a selfie with students and day’s newspaper and share it on a Whatsapp group called attendance with selfie.

“Attendance with a selfie has resulted in tremendous improvement in attendance at primary garh block,” district magistrate Kumar Prashant told HT .

Faced with complaints of teachers playing truant in remote areas Prashant roped in social