Swapan Dasgupta likely to head Nehru memorial

Although these may be early days, a wedge has already been created with the idea of building a new Parliament building, the logic of which is not at all clear. The argument for a new Parliament building is supposed to be based on the idea that the present premises have become inadequate and that a new and modern edifice will somehow ease the functioning and enhance the efficiency of the members, as appropriate in a digital age.

Lutyens' Delhi, the headquarters of the British raj, is one of India's architectural and iconic wonders, whose planning and construction commenced in 1921. The building of the present Parliament House was completed in 1927, alongside the rest of Lutyens' structures on Raisina Hill. The surrounding premises of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, North and South Block, all stand today as a symbol of the majesty of the Indian democracy. The other surrounding buildings of the Parliament library and the annexe in the Parliament House complex were built in later years. Well-known structures such as the Lodhi Gardens, Humayun's Tomb, the Qutab Minar, Jama Masjid and several other historical structures and minarets are strewn across Delhi and, like Raisina Hill, bear witness to the legacy of more than a thousand years of history of former rulers and builders of this great Indian city.

Indians naturally feel resentful about foreign invaders, but the facts of history, sadly, cannot be denied. Although the recent destruction of the historically famous Bamiyan Buddha statues in Afghanistan by the Taliban and the ravages of the Islamic State obliterating the museums and historical monuments in Iraq and Syria are not exactly in the same category, they are contemporary events of vandalism, of the obliteration of history in hate and haste.

The Archaeological Survey of India is a premier institution, established in the 19th century. It deserves a mention here for its excellent record of work and its contemporary role as preserver of the icons of India's rich history. This, in spite of constraints on its resources, maintaining and guarding India's ancient structures and artefacts from the predatory spread of our exploding population, is indeed a huge task.

Be that as it may, the proposal to build a new Parliament House will not solve the genuine problems beleaguering the present premises, because the appropriate solution is not creating more space, but making significantly better and more effective use of the space and facilities of the existing Parliament building.

There are numerous and visible challenges with respect to the poor repairs, maintenance and upkeep, and utilization of space of the present Parliament House, which may, in fact, be no different than the state of upkeep of the rest of Lutyens' Delhi and other government buildings in and around it. The issue of the maintenance and upkeep of public structures and spaces is not peculiar to Delhi, but is a malaise across the government premises in the states as well. Returning to the subject at hand, the poor state of upkeep, maintenance and services in the existing Parliament House and its surroundings is, to put it mildly, primarily owing to the inadequate accountability, management, supervision, planning and systematic maintenance.

The principal service providers in Delhi, the public works and associated departments are manned by dedicated, qualified and a committed group of professionals and service employees. The state of disrepair of the Parliament House is a mute testimony to inadequate utilization of funds, human resources, management and accountability, which cannot be remedied by building another edifice. The visibly poor state of service lines, civil structures and fire safety is yet to be paid attention to.

In contrast, the secretariat of the Parliament provides services to the members, both in the House as well as outside, in a highly professional and dependable manner. In other words, if there is appropriate organizational focus and accountability, there is no reason why the repairs, maintenance and upkeep of the physical and related service structures of the present Parliament House cannot be of the same high standard and quality. That the premises need modernization in phases, as well, cannot be denied.

During the periods when the Parliament is in session, services to members in the central hall of Parliament House, the dining room, the reading room and security services are also of very high standard and are uniformly reliable and dependable. Similarly, the surrounding grounds and the cleanliness and upkeep of the washrooms in Parliament House, for example, are indeed of a very high and consistent standard. The parliamentary offices and committee rooms around the circumference of the two floors of the Parliament building would significantly benefit from improved maintenance, upkeep and modernization.

It may be worthwhile for the Parliament administration to consider enlisting the services of professional architects, engineers and management consultants to modernize, upgrade and significantly raise the maintenance standard and level of safety in the existing Parliament building in a cost-effective and appropriate way. This would be the best way to ensure a modern working environment for all the members as well as for those who manage and administer this great Indian institution.

Providing more computer facilities, moving into a paperless working environment and more space to members can be effectively achieved in the existing Parliament building with the professional services of experts and, in all probability, at no excess expenditure.

Modernizing the structure, appearance and functioning of the existing Parliament House to levels of 21st-century standards is a unique opportunity for the elected representatives of our people to demonstrate how to preserve and upgrade the iconic Parliament House, as a symbol of India's history and heritage. I would not have been able to express my views as forthrightly as I have tried to do, if I did not have the unique privilege of having personally seen and experienced what I have narrated, as a member of the Rajya Sabha, for the last six years.

In frequent bouts of populism, our country discards the old and historically important to seek something new. Renaming cities and streets, instead of finding ways to improve the lives of our citizens is a malaise across India and needs to be discouraged. Re-crafting historic edifices, instead of caring for and preserving them, would amount to erasing important parts of our rich heritage and substituting them with something that may look more modern - but to what end?