KATHMANDU, Jan 23: The general public has not been vaccinated against COVID-19. The number of deaths due to the lack of treatment is also significant. The construction of development infrastructure including roads and irrigation has not gained momentum. But the government is preparing to spend around Rs 240 million on the decoration of the ministers’ quarters alone. The political leadership was criticized for starting new construction while the country already had ministerial quarters. Amid criticism from the general public, the government is constructing 27 minister quarters in Bhaisepati of Lalitpur at a cost of Rs 1.3 billion.
The special building construction project, which is building houses at a cost of more than Rs 1 billion, will spend an additional Rs 240 million on the interior decoration of the residence alone. The project, which plans to relocate the ministers to a new residence by October, is going to spend a large amount on interior decoration.
According to the Special Building Construction Project Coordination Office, an additional budget of Rs 240 million has been proposed for the interior decoration of the area.
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Dilip Shekhar Shrestha, director of the project, said that the amount will be used for interior designing, furniture, beds, meeting halls and its furniture, curtains, kitchen utensils, among other things.
According to Shrestha, when bids are made the amount will go down by 30 percent. “Preparations are being made to call for bids. The amount of decoration is around Rs 170 million even if the tender is 30 percent less than the proposed Rs 240 million.”
In the first phase, the work is moving ahead with an agreement of Rs 1.3 billion. In the second phase, an agreement is being prepared to build a security building, a health club and a swimming pool with an investment of around Rs 347.7 million. In the third phase, a budget of Rs.240 million has been allocated for interior decoration.
About 70 percent of the construction work of the minister's quarters has been completed. The government led by the then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had decided to build a new ministers’ quarters at Bhaisepati in Lalitpur saying that the ministers’ residence in Pulchowk, Lalitpur was not well-organized, well-equipped and inadequate. An agreement was reached with Hanuman JV in 2076 BS for the construction of the new ministers’ quarters. Although the agreement stipulates that the construction period of the project is two years, the construction has been delayed due to COVID-19.
The quarters under-construction will house 24 federal ministers, vice chairpersons and deputy speakers of the National Assembly. The minister's residence is under construction on 149 ropanis and 4 aana of land allotted for the residential area of Lalitpur Metropolitan City Sainbu, Bhansepati.
Out of the total area, about 12 ropanis will be used for 27 buildings and 38 ropanis and 8 aana will be left vacant while some land will be used for building a garden. According to the department, 21 ropanis of land will be occupied by internal roads.
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