Bagmati Provincial Assembly now functions from its building

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT.Makwanpur, Aug. 14: Seven and a half years after the formation of the Provincial Assembly under Nepal’s federal structure, Bagmati Provincial Assembly has finally received its own building.

Since the first session on February 1, 2018, the Provincial Assembly’s meetings and secretariat had been operating from the office building of the former Regional Education Directorate. 

The newly constructed building, whose foundation stone was laid five years ago, was officially handed over to the Provincial Assembly Secretariat on Tuesday.

The construction was originally planned to be completed within 18 months but faced delays. With the handover, Speaker Bhuwan Kumar Pathak formally inaugurated the building. Prior to the inauguration, Minister for Physical Infrastructure Development Dr. Dinesh Chandra Devkota handed over the building’s key to Speaker Pathak.

According to Provincial Assembly Secretary Purna Bahadur Darji, construction of the building began on November 4, 2020, through the Urban Development and Building Office, Hetauda, with a total cost of Rs. 123,362,964. Out of this, Rs. 86,271,127 was spent on the main structure, while Rs. 37,091,837 was spent on furniture, audio, video, and other interior facilities.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by provincial ministers, assembly members, the Chief Secretary of the province, and other senior officials. For years, provincial assembly members had criticised the lack of a dedicated building for the assembly.

With the handover complete, future sessions of the Bagmati Provincial Assembly will now be held in the new building.