Construction of assembly hall in Dadeldhura stalled for years

Dhangadhi: The construction of an assembly hall in Kirtipur, Dadeldhura, has remained stalled for years despite initial progress.

The project, initiated to address the lack of assembly halls in both the government and private sectors, has come to a complete halt.

According to Gagan Singh Bhandari, Head of the District Coordination Committee, Dadeldhura, the work was started under the committee’s initiative after the proposal for the assembly hall construction was approved by the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure of the Far Western Province government.

“We had taken the initiative for this, saying that an assembly hall was essential in Dadeldhura, but now the work has stopped,” Bhandari said.

The plan was to build an assembly hall with a seating capacity of 200 people at a total cost of Rs. 25 million. The foundation was laid in the fiscal year 2079/80, and iron rods were installed for the pillars, but no progress has been made since then. The site has now become overgrown with weeds and remains in a dilapidated state.

The foundation was prepared on the land of Kirtipur, where the District Coordination Committee office is located. Although the foundation work and basic structure were completed at a cost of Rs. 4 million in the first year, the construction has not moved forward since. Despite repeated correspondence with the Urban Development and Building Office, the work remains stalled, said Chief Bhandari.

He further informed that Rs. 45 million was allocated in the fiscal year 2081/82 by the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure of the Sudurpaschim Province Government. However, since the Urban Development and Building Office was responsible for executing the construction and did not issue a work order to the contractor, the budget was frozen.

A contract was called in 2079 BS under a multi-year plan with a total cost estimate of Rs. 20.5 million. While the foundation work was completed in the first year, the project was halted in the second year due to a lack of budget. Although some funds were allocated last year, the work has not progressed due to technical complications.