KATHMANDU, Sept 19: On the occasion of Constitution Day, the government has arranged for the general public to visit Dharahara free of charge starting from Thursday. According to Koshnaadh Adhikari, the chief of the Central Project Implementation Unit (CPIU) of Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, 600 people will be allowed to climb Dharahara for free each day starting Thursday. Of the 600 slots, 100 are reserved for persons with disabilities and the elderly. Arrangements have been made for 100 people to visit Dharahara every hour.

To book a visit to Dharahara, the CPIU has launched a website, dharahara.gov.np. Bookings can be made through this website. In case of technical issues with the website, those who secure tickets first will be given priority for visiting Dharahara, according to Adhikari.

According to Adhikari, this is a temporary arrangement. The free entry to Dharahara is currently provided on an interim basis, and a decision on whether to introduce a fee in the future has not yet been made. Officials also mentioned that free parking is available in the Dharahara area, with space for 800 motorcycles and 300 cars. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development Prakash Man Singh inspected Dharahara on Wednesday. According to a senior official from the Ministry of Urban Development, this visit was for inspection purposes only and not for the inauguration.

The construction of Dharahara is approximately 96 percent complete. According to the unit, although it has not been possible to release water naturally from Sundhara, Dharahara will still be open to the public. The dispute over whether to release water naturally from Sundhara or to use a separate pipe from the Kathmandu Valley Water Supply Management Board (KVWSMB) remains unresolved.

As a result, water will not be released from Sundhara immediately. Prime Minister KP Oli had inaugurated Dharahara three years ago during his previous term. Oli had hurriedly inaugurated the construction on April 24, 2021, before the work was completed. The new Dharahara was built near the foundation of the old one, which was destroyed by the 2015 earthquake.

The contract for the construction of Dharahara has been extended for the seventh time. Officials have stated that the final deadline is the end of Ashwin (October). Despite multiple extensions of the deadline in the past, the work remained incomplete, leading the government to extend it for the seventh time, marking it as the final extension. The foundation stone for the project was laid on December 27, 2018, with the slogan "(Mero Dharahara Mai Banaunxu) I will build the Dharahara on my own."

The Ministry of Urban Development awarded the contract for the construction of Dharahara to GITC Raman Construction Joint Venture. The agreement with the contractor company was signed on September 30, 2018. At that time, the contract was valued at Rs 3.811 billion excluding VAT. The estimated cost upon completion of the construction is expected to reach Rs 3.5 billion, excluding VAT.

Due to the work not being completed as per the initial agreement, the deadline was extended a second time on June 30, 2021, for six months. When the work was still not completed within that period, the deadline was extended a third time on December 25, 2021, by three months and 20 days. The fourth extension on April 13, 2022, was for nine months, the fifth extension on December 18, 2022, was for nine months, and the sixth extension on October 14, 2023, was for three months and four days. Since the work was still incomplete within the sixth extension period, a seventh extension was granted on January 16, 2024. According to the Ministry of Urban Development, the federal government will manage and operate Dharahara temporarily.

 
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