Govt building reconstruction at halfway

Kathmandu, July 31

Only 70 structures of the 415 government and public buildings damaged by the devastating earthquake of 2015 have been rebuilt so far. 

About 162 buildings were completely damaged and needed reconstruction and 253 were partially damaged which are being retrofitted. 

The National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) said that the retrofitting of all buildings had completed.

"The government rebuilt 30 buildings from its sources while 40 structures were reconstructed with the support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB)," said the NRA. 

About 21 buildings being built by the government and 29 with the ADB support will be completed by mid-January 2020, said Navaraj Pyakurel, Director of the Central Project Implementation Unit (Buildings). 

The reconstruction body said that the process had been initiated to construct the remaining structures. Construction agreement has been signed for the Sajha Publication, Gorkhapatra Corporation and Radio Nepal's buildings, and tender notice is published for the construction of the houses at the western gate of the Singha Durbar. 

Procurement notice for the construction of the Integrated Administrative Building in Lalitpur has been published recently. Likewise, jails in Gorkha, Sindhupalchowk, Lamjung, Rasuwa, Okhaldhunga and Solukhumbu districts are in the process to be reconstructed. 

The administrative buildings and jails will be rebuilt with the loan support from the Exim Bank India.

Chief Executive Officer of the NRA Sushil Gyawali said that about Rs. 8.28 billion was spent on the reconstruction and retrofitting of the public buildings.

Retrofitting of the SAARC Secretariat has completed while the eastern, western and northern parts of the Singha Durbar are being retrofitted, and a tender notice is published for the retrofitting of its western part. Similarly, tender notice is published for the retrofitting of Bal Mandir, Kaisher Mahal and Central Law Library.

Likewise, Shital Niwas (President's Office) Bahadur Bhawan (former Office of the Vice-President) and buildings of Tri-Chandra College are in the designing phase of retrofitting. Buildings of Nepal Rastra Bank in Baluwatar and Thapathali are now under construction.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 1 August 2019.