Kathmandu, July 29: Nepal’s new Parliament building at Singha Durbar has missed yet another completion deadline, with the government preparing to grant the contractor a seventh extension despite the project reaching 96 percent physical progress.
The latest 90-day extension, the sixth granted so far, expired nearly two months ago without the project being completed. Roshan Shrestha, deputy director general of the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction and project director, said another extension will be issued under the 15th amendment to the Public Procurement Regulations.
“Once the deadline expires, extending the contract is necessary to keep it legally valid,” Shrestha said, adding that the amendment allows the government to extend ongoing contracts.
The civil works deadline expired on May 23, while the interior works deadline ended on May 29. The contractor has already applied for another extension.
During a site inspection on June 15, Speaker D P Aryal warned that delays could result in a daily fine of Rs 10 million. However, officials are preparing to extend the contract without imposing any penalty.
Despite the delays, the House of Representatives chamber is fully ready to host parliamentary meetings. Cameras, audio visual conferencing systems and live broadcasting equipment have all been installed and tested.
“The House chamber is completely ready. The Parliament Secretariat can begin House meetings there whenever it decides,” Shrestha said.
Work continues on the National Assembly chamber, where the final layer of the false ceiling is nearing completion. Wall panelling, acoustic treatment and installation of conferencing equipment will follow.
Elsewhere in the complex, finishing work, fire safety systems, CCTV installation and technical testing are progressing. While security systems inside the chambers have been completed, work on the integrated server network and other remaining infrastructure is still underway.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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