KATHMANDU: Locals around the Kashthamandap, which collapsed in the devastating magnitude-7.6 earthquake last year, have urged the government to retain the old design while restructuring such historic monuments.

The locals gathered near rubble of the historic building on Sunday evening and called the government to disallow the lowest-price bidding process in reconstruction of such monuments so as to ensure its originality and standard, and comply with the requirements set in the Post-Disaster Recovery Framework.

They also demanded that locals and cultural experts be included in the entire reconstruction process.

At the gathering, speakers including priest Manjushree Ratna Bajracharya, journalist Dipesh Risal, community leader Shailesh Shakya and locals Raj Kalyan Tamrakar and Birendra Bhakta Shrestha had spoken about the importance of the building, which is believed to have been constructed around 880 years ago using wood from a single tree.

Meanwhile, as many as 75 participants also signed a petition urging the government not to change the shape of historic building. The petition would be submitted to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, according to the campaigners.