Construction of international exhibition center begins in Butwal

Leaflets distributed against NCP General Secretary Paudel

RUPANDEHI, May 28: The construction of an international-level exhibition center with the capacity of accommodating 10,000 visitors at a time kicked off in Butwal on Monday.

Bishnu Prasad Paudel, general secretary of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) as well as parliament member from Rupandehi-2, laid the foundation stone of the modern exhibition center. Reportedly, the center will be built inside Butwal Mandap based in Butwal-10, Ramnagar. It will occupy a total area of 6.4 bighas.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony organized by Urban Development and Building Construction Department and Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City, Paudel claimed that the proposed center will be the largest exhibition center of the country. He urged the department to complete the project on time and assured that the government will make sure that the project will not be halted due to a budget shortage.

"This project must be completed within 27 months and an additional one day," said Paudel. He stated that the construction of the conference hall and exhibition center will play a pivotal role in Rupandehi's development. Gauri Parbati JV has been awarded the project for a total budget of Rs 1.2 billion.

The government has sanctioned a total budget of Rs 2.5 billion for the exhibition center and the conference hall which will be built within Butwal Mandap. Khem Bahadur Hamal, chairperson of Butwal Chambers of Commerce and Industry, informed Republica that every year around Rs 8 million is spent in Butwal for the construction of temporary structures during various occasions.

So, the construction of the center is expected to reduce such expenses.Leaflets accusing Paudel of corruption distributedAt the program organized for laying the foundation stone of the exhibition center, Nepali Congress (NC) distributed leaflets which accused NCP General Secretary Paudel of corruption. Paudel has been accused of illegally purchasing land in Baluwatar. A team led by Khelraj Pandey, candidate for Mayor of Butwal as well as the president of NC in Butwal, distributed around 300 leaflets outside the gate where the foundation stone-laying ceremony was held.

The cadres of NCP had seized and thrown many such leaflets in sewer. A clash which erupted between the cadres of the two parties was brought under control after some time.