BY BOSCO CELESTINE
NEW DELHI: The Central Hall of Parliament of India has once again caught the attention of the National Media. On November 8, the leader of the oldest democracy comes face to face with law-makers of the world’s largest democracy in the Central Hall of Parliament.
In this decade alone, three most powerful presidents of the United States of America have visited India. President Bill Clinton addressed members of both houses of Parliament in March 2000 and in another ten days, President Barack Obama will follow suit. George Bush skipped Central Hall in March 2006.
For this grand occasion, feverish activities is underway to dress up the hall like a bride. The historic Central Hall has been closed for renovation on the directions of Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar. “It is an opportunity to showcase sanctum sanctorum of democracy to the world. We are working towards that and want to complete the Work by October-end” says Lok Sabha Secretary General.
The Central dome of the Hall which is 80 ft in diameter will be resplendent in blue and orange colour lights are being installed to give the desired effect.
A brochure brought out by the Secretariat says the Central Hall is a place of historical .jpg)
importance. The transfer of power on the mid-night of August 14-15, 1947 from the British to India took place in this Hall. The Indian Constitution was also framed in this Hall.
According to DNA, a Teleprompter will be in use for the first time in the Central Hall of Parliament when President Obama addresses members.
The whole programme scheduled to start at 5 p m is expected to be over in an hour. It will start with a welcome speech by Vice President Hamid Ansari a vote of thanks by Speaker by Meira Kumar.
The entire parliament structure was designed by the famous architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker who behind planning and construction of New Delhi.
The foundation stone of Parliament House was laid on February 12, 1921 by Duke of Connaught. The construction of building took six years to complete. The opening ceremony was performed on January 18, 1927 by the then Governor General, Lord Irwin. The cost of construction at that time was RS 85 lakhs.
At the other end of the Capital, the ITC Maurya Sheraton where Obama and wife Michelle will be staying has been turned into a fortress. Obama will be the third American President after Bill Clinton 2000 and George Bush in 2006 to be staying at the hotel. The Presidential floor has its own library , a 12-seater private dining room, its own sauna and spa.