DoA prepares to call global tender for reconstruction of Dharahara

Kathmandu, April 2

The Department of Archaeology is preparing to call a global tender for the construction of a new Dharahara.

Spokesperson for the department, Ram Bahadur Kunwar, said a global tender would be issued after finalising the design of the new structure. “The new Dharahara will retain its original external appearance but with a different interior structure.”

He said though different designs had been made, the department was yet to pick the final design.

Kunwar also said that the new Dharahara will be constructed at the place where the old one had collapsed during the 2015 earthquake.

Earlier, an immediate action plan developed by the government had set the target of beginning reconstruction of the historical structure by November 2017. It said the government would collect donations from employees and Nepali citizens to rebuild Dharahara, also known as Bhimsen Tower.

The government had also appealed to the general public and government employees to contribute to the Dharahara reconstruction fund under ‘I Will Build My Dharahara Myself’ campaign announced by former prime minister KP Sharma Oli on February 16, 2016.

The Department of Archaeology will be the implementing agency for reconstruction of the heritage site. The 225-feet Bhimsen Tower was built in 1825 by the first prime minister of Nepal Bhimsen Thapa. It was partially damaged by the massive earthquake of 1934.