KATHMANDU, April 24: The tallest view tower in the Kathmandu Valley which collapsed during the 2015 earthquake is being inaugurated today at 11AM.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is scheduled to inaugurate the tower after the construction company stated that it will take another year to complete the exterior decoration work. Reconstruction of the tower had started only in 2075 BS as a dispute over the reconstruction halted the work for long.
The Dharahara Debate
Although the work of the tower pillar was completed after two years, only 10 percent of the work has been done for the exterior beautification and the underground two floors. The project has spent Rs 3.48 billion to reconstruct the tower and install gold tops in the Dharahara.
Rajuman Manandhar, senior expert at the National Reconstruction Authority, said most of the materials used in the construction of the tower have been produced in Nepal. According to him, cement including Sarvottam, Jagdamba, Ultra and Hongsi have been used while Ambe, Laxmi and Jagshakti iron rods produced in Nepal have also been used. In addition to this, AC and other essential electrical items have been imported from neighboring countries.
More than 50 people were killed when Dharahara collapsed in the 2015 quake. The reconstruction work had gained after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli took fresh initiatives to rebuild the tower. Despite Prime Minister Oli's commitment to finish rebuilding the collapsed tower in 2017, the target could not be met.
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 enforced to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
