KATHMANDU, March 11: The Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DUDBC) has informed the Federal Parliament Secretariat that a main hall in the new parliament building under construction inside the Singha Durbar complex is almost ready. This hall is expected to host the first meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR) of Nepal.
Director General Rabindra Bohara of DUDBC said he personally met Chief Secretary Suman Raj Aryal and Parliament General Secretary Padam Pandey on Monday to brief them on the progress.
“They were keen to know if the hall would be ready before the first HoR meeting. We assured them that a main hall will indeed be ready in time,” Bohara said. “They visited the construction site to assess progress, and I also went there to give them updates firsthand.”
Helipad to be constructed inside Singha Durbar
According to Bohara, Minister for Urban Development (MoUD) Kumar Ingnam has been closely following the project and requesting daily updates on construction progress.
With the HoR elections concluded last Thursday, the government faces mounting pressure to ensure the hall is ready to convene the first meeting. The MoUD has tasked DUDBC with this responsibility.
Bohara said construction is currently running around the clock. “The contractor is working overnight, and we are monitoring progress daily. Since the elections are over, at least one main hall and a VIP room must be ready before the first session,” he said.
The government is investing nearly Rs 5 billion in constructing the parliament building within Singha Durbar. A senior MoUD official said finding an alternative venue would be inappropriate given the scale of the investment.
“If the main hall is not ready before the first meeting, it would reflect poorly on the government,” the official said.
Currently, DUDBC is building 12 blocks inside the complex to accommodate both the HoR and the National Assembly. “Our plan is to complete at least one large hall by early mid-March, and the rest of the construction will follow over the next six months to a year,” the official added.
Bohara stressed there is no alternative plan if the hall is delayed. “We have no other option. The hall must be ready under any circumstances.”
The first session of the new parliament is likely in the third week of March, but officials at the Secretariat remain anxious about whether the building and related preparations will be fully ready by then.
