KATHMANDU, April 14: Dharahara, which is considered a historical heritage of the Kathmandu Valley, is being inaugurated on April 24. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has instructed the contractor company to complete the work of the tower within April 24 with the aim of inaugurating it soon.
But only 61 percent of the work has been completed so far, including the exterior beauty of the tower. The construction of the tower is 97 percent complete. Prime Minister Oli will inaugurate only the tower as other works cannot be completed within the stipulated time. According to the construction company, Rs 2.16 billion has been spent so far. The work of finishing touch is ongoing at the moment. The government has planned to inaugurate the tower by completing the work within the next 10 days.
The Dharahara Debate
However, the contractor company has stated that it will take another year to beautify the exterior of the tower. Shyam Chandra Shrestha, project manager of Raman Construction Company, informed that the work of finishing the tower is underway as it is scheduled to be inaugurated on April 24. “There is still a lot of beautification work to be done outside the tower. Construction is taking place and we plan to complete it by April 24,” he said.
There was a long-running dispute over the reconstruction of the tower that collapsed during the 2015 earthquake. Work on the tower, which started after the dispute, was in full swing but the contractor company could not complete it on time. The company, which has been rebuilding the tower extending its deadline, said it would still take time to work on the exterior of the tower.
More than 50 people were killed when Dharahara collapsed in the 2015 quake. The reconstruction work had moved ahead after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli took the lead in rebuilding the tower. Despite Prime Minister Oli's commitment to rebuild the collapsed tower in 2017, the tower was not rebuilt.
The contract for the reconstruction of the tower was awarded to GIETC-Raman JV for Rs 3.8 billion excluding VAT. According to the contract agreement, the contractor company had set a target of completing the reconstruction of the tower by October 2020. However, the contractor company could not complete the reconstruction work within the stipulated time, citing the lockdown for control and prevention of COVID-19. Reconstruction of the tower was started in 2075 BS after a long dispute and entanglement.
