KATHMANDU, May 5: The construction of the new Parliament building within the Singha Durbar premises has faced significant delays, prompting a fifth deadline extension nearly five and a half years after work began. The original contract, signed on October 3, 2019, with a projected cost of Rs 5.02 billion, aimed to complete the building within three years.
On Sunday, the Parliamentary Committee for Implementation, Monitoring, and Evaluation of the Directive Principles, Policies, and Responsibilities of the State inspected the construction site. During the visit, senior officials from the Ministry of Urban Development informed the committee that preparations were underway to extend the deadline by another 200 days.
Parliamentary committee chairman Thakur Gaire said the panel would instruct the Urban Development Minister to explain the basis for completing the work within the new 200-day timeline and to clarify accountability if the deadline is missed.
Contractor seeks fifth deadline extension for parliament buildi...
The government recently amended the Public Procurement Regulations, with the 14th amendment paving the way for this fifth extension. The revised rules allow contractors, consultants, or service providers to request deadline extensions within 30 days of the regulation’s implementation, provided they clarify the reasons for delays and forgo additional financial claims.
Conditions for extensions include delays caused by government decisions, budget allocation issues, or compensation events such as failure to provide site access or designs on time.
The Parliament building project has already undergone four deadline extensions. According to the Special Building Project under the ministry, approximately 86 percent of the construction work has been completed. Despite several inspections by high-level officials—including the Prime Minister, Speaker, and ministers—the completion timeline remains uncertain.
Frequent design changes have increased costs, with a variation order approved in February 2024 adding Rs 560 million to the budget. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli laid the foundation stone for the building on October 1, 2019, and remains in office today.
Since 2008, the government has been renting the International Convention Centre in New Baneshwor to host parliamentary sessions. When the new building will be completed and ready to host parliament remains unknown.
