Much-delayed new Parliament complex to be delivered by September-end
The new Parliament complex is expected to be delivered to the secretariat of the House of Representatives before the end of this month after several delays, Padipat Suntiphada, the first deputy House speaker, said on Thursday.
The delivery of the 23-billion-baht Parliament building “Sappaya Sapa Sathan” (Peaceful Place of Assembly) was originally scheduled in 2020 but has been repeatedly delayed due to several reasons, including the Covid-19 outbreak and deviation of some aspects of the finished building from the design.
Padipat said the secretariat of the House of Representatives, the Fine Arts Department, and the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand have been tasked with inspecting the finished building to make sure that it complies with all details and conditions in the construction contract.
The three agencies were expected to finalise the delivery process on Monday (September 18), but the inspection committees are still divided on the finished building, said Padipat, adding that all the disagreements should be resolved by the month-end.
Padipat said that the secretariat would also disclose to the public the reasons behind the delays in the completion of work, including the damage incurred by the government and responsible agencies.
Construction of the 11-storey Parliament on a 119.6-rai (19.136 hectares) plot in Bangkok's Dusit district started in 2013 and covers an area of more than 424,000 square metres. The original budget was set at 12.28 billion baht but later ballooned to 22.987 billion baht.
The building was officially opened on May 1, 2021, and has been used for Parliament meetings since, although parts of the building remained unfinished.
