New Delhi, Jun 21 (PTI) Union Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra on Monday said over 50 per cent of the workers engaged in the construction of the new parliament building have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Taking to Twitter, Mishra asserted the new building will be ready on schedule for parliament's winter session in 2022 in the 75th year of India's independence.

The secretary, who had visited the site on June 19, said 16,000 MT cement and 10,000 MT reinforcement steel have been used in the construction.

“On-site 2,180 and off-site workers are contributing with excitement and enthusiasm. Over 50 per cent (workers) are vaccinated and Covid appropriate behaviour is being observed strictly. Environment sensitive measures like dust control, pollution mitigation, sound barrier etc are being fully observed," Mishra tweeted.

In December last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of the new parliament building, which will have an area of 64,500 square metres.

In the the building, the Lok Sabha chamber will have a seating capacity for 888 members, while the Rajya Sabha will have 384 seats for members.

The Lok Sabha chamber will have an option to increase its sitting capacity to 1,224 members during joint sessions. PTI BUN

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)