KATHMANDU, Feb 25: Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai has said that the country has moved ahead towards the process of new election of the Constituent Assembly (CA).
Inaugurating the newly constructed meeting hall and quarter of the Armed Police Force built at the premises of the official residence of the Prime Minister at Baluwatar this morning, Prime Minister Bhattarai said that the meeting held with Chief Justice (CJ), Khilraj Regmi, was very positive and added that now the CA election was confirmed.[break]
He said the meeting between top leaders of major political parties and the CJ was very positive and now the country will head towards the election for a new CA election in a full-fledged manner and that they have this confidence.
Stating that the CJ has some issues of concern, the Prime Minister said that political parties are united to resolve the issues of the CJ through consensus.
He said the country will unconditionally head towards the election after the process for the same was moved ahead by removing obstacles after all the required constitutional and legal arrangements were put in place. The Prime Minister added that the prevailing political deadlock will end after the election.
Prime Minister Bhattarai said that the parties would again hold discussions later today and work out the required provisions for removing the constitutional obstacles.
In a separate context, the prime minister stated that the architectural design of the official residence of the prime minister was wrong for it was built without any master plan and was therefore like a patchwork.
He complained that as the PM´s official residence was not blt in a systematic manner, there were problems holding important meetings and discussions.
The prime minister hoped that the construction of the new building will solve the problem related to the security at the PM residence to some extent.
He said that it will lead to an enhanced efficiency of the management of the secretariat at the PM residence.
Of the two blocks built by the Building Construction and Maintenance Division Office, Anamnagar, one will be used as the Prime Minister´s residence and the meeting room of the Council of Ministers while the other one will be used as the quarters for the Armed Police Force (APF) personnel assigned for the security of the PM Residence complex.
The block with the meeting hall was constructed at a cost of Rs 37.3 million. This block will have 10 rooms.
This block will have a chamber for the PM´s political advisor, the PM´s office, a VVIP´s meeting chamber, reception, the assistant´s room, the press advisor´s office chamber, the chief personal secretary´s chamber, the main hall, the meeting hall of the Council of Ministers and a waiting room.
The block built on 881 metres square area has a seating capacity for 170 persons while the Council of Ministers´ meeting hall has the capacity to accommodate 38 people.
The living quarters of the APF was built at a cost of Rs. 22.1 million. The APF living quarters block has 14 rooms and it can accommodate 60 people. This block is built on 39 metres square area.
Also speaking at the programme, Secretary at the Ministry of Urban Development, Kishor Thapa, said that the construction of the new blocks has made the Prime Minister´s official residence more systematic.
Chief of the Building Construction and Maintenance Division, Surojraj Rajkarnikar, brifed about the new buildings on the occasion.
Chief Secretary of the Government, Lilamani Poudel, secretaries of different government ministries and chiefs of the security bodies were also present.
The buildings in the Prime Minister´s official residence complex were constructed nearly 30 years back and a master plan including the new buildings was drawn recently, Rajkarnikar said.
The PM´s official residence complex is spread on a total 63 ropanis land.
He said the works related to landscaping, construction of a road and an army barracks have reached the final stages of completion as per the master plan.
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