Maoist rebels destroyed the palace in 2002 during their armed insurgency. Before its destruction, the palace was used by the district administration office for official purposes.
The government begun the reconstruction work in 2008, but it has remained uncertain due to negligence on the part of the contractor and lack of the required timber, according to Chief District Officer (CDO) Bhabishwor Pandey.
The palace needs to be renovated as per the old design and this requires saal timber, said Jay Bahadur Saud, one of the contractors.
"With the government's ban on the cutting of saal trees, the construction work has been further delayed," he said, adding, "Use of other types of timber would not do."
Meanwhile, CDO Pandey informed that the District Reconstruction Committee has lifted the ban on the felling of saal needed for the renovation. "As the palace needs saal and we are for expediting the work, there is no point banning the use of the timber in this case," he said.
Seven years ago, a joint venture of five construction companies--Rajendra, Saud, Tulchhidurga, Badimalika and Kunwar--had signed an agreement to complete reconstruction of the palace at a cost of Rs 22.5 million. According to Pandey, some of the timber has already been supplied but around 2,000 cubic feet is still needed.
Built by the king of Achham some two centuries ago, the palace was bombed and destroyed by the Maoists during the insurgency.
Related story
Stakeholders call for rebuilding Mangalsen Palace
