Gandaki Provincial Assembly remains inactive for over one and a half months

KATHMANDU, Oct 13: The proceedings of the Gandaki Provincial Assembly have remained stalled for nearly one and a half months after the provincial assembly building was damaged during the ‘Gen Z’ protests. The assembly last convened on September 4. Although two meetings were called since then, both were postponed at the last moment. The date for the next meeting has yet to be decided.

A meeting scheduled for September 10 could not take place after protesters vandalized and set fire to the assembly building a day earlier. Following the unrest, the meeting was indefinitely postponed. It was later rescheduled to be held last Wednesday in the conference hall of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land Management, and Cooperatives, but that too was canceled at the final hour.

The Provincial Assembly Secretariat issued a notice citing “special reasons” for the postponement and stated that the meeting remains deferred until further notice. Speaker Krishna Prasad Dhital said the postponement was due to insufficient technical preparations.

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“Since the meeting has to be held at a new venue, we need to make management and technical preparations accordingly,” said Dhital, “The meeting will now be held only after Tihar, by which time preparations will be complete.”

The postponed meeting was expected to include clause-wise discussions and endorsement of bills related to cannabis cultivation and mining and minerals. The delay in holding sessions has also stalled the lawmaking process in the province.

As the provincial assembly building and related structures were severely damaged beyond reuse, the Ministry of Agriculture’s building has been designated as an alternative venue for the sessions. The Secretariat stated that assembly activities will continue from temporary structures until the construction of a new building is completed.

During the ‘Gen Z’ protests, demonstrators vandalized and torched the provincial assembly building, subordinate offices, and vehicles. The assembly building, a traditional structure made of wood and stone, was completely destroyed by the fire. The Secretariat building, thematic committee offices, and parliamentary party offices were also affected.