Sudurpaschim provincial assembly session likely in first week of Poush

Dhangadhi: Preparations are underway to convene a meeting of the Sudurpaschim Provincial Assembly in the first week of Poush after nearly three months of uncertainty caused by damage to physical infrastructure.

Speaker Bhim Bahadur Bhandari informed that repair work on the assembly hall is expected to be completed within three to four days. He said preparations are being made to hold the assembly meeting within six to seven days after the repairs are finished.

“It will not take many days to complete the repair work. Preparations are being made to hold the meeting on the sixth or seventh,” Speaker Bhandari said.

The Provincial Assembly meeting had remained suspended after Genji agitators set fire to and vandalized the provincial assembly building, secretariat, thematic committee offices and parliamentary party offices on Bhadra 24. Prior to that incident, the last assembly meeting was held on Bhadra 5.

According to the Provincial Assembly Secretariat, the first phase of repairs to the Provincial Assembly building was carried out by the Urban Development and Building Division Office. However, more than half of the work remained unfinished as more than Rs 1 million could not be spent at that time.

The second phase of repair work is currently underway after the federal government arranged for contracts to be awarded for repairing physical damage caused by special circumstances. Secretary of the Provincial Assembly Secretariat, Dev Bahadur Bogati, said that Jagadamba Construction Service of Darchula is carrying out the repair work. He informed that the ceiling work has already been completed, while wiring, paneling and replacement of broken window glass are ongoing.

The federal government had called for a contract to reconstruct the damaged structure under special circumstances. Secretary Bogati said the construction company is working under a contract worth Rs 1.318 million, while the total budget allocated for the reconstruction of the Sudurpaschim Provincial Assembly building is Rs 2 million.

So far, only the assembly building is being repaired. Repair work on the secretariat, thematic committee offices and parliamentary party offices is still pending. It is estimated that around Rs 8 million will be required to renovate the remaining offices. Speaker Bhandari said that more than half of the required budget has been arranged from external sources.