KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 15

Reconstruction of country's main administrative complex Singha Durbar, where the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers is also based, has been completed.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli inaugurated the three fronts except for the western front of Singha Durbar amidst a programme today.

The 25 April 2015 earthquake had ravaged the main administrative secretariat building of Kathmandu.

After inauguration, the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers will be shifted to the reconstructed building. The Office of the country's chief executive was shifted to the building of the then Ministry of Local Development following the earthquake devastation.

National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) Chief Executive Officer Sushil Gyawali said the building has been reconstructed well through retrofitting. 'We have reconstructed the building in an earthquake-resilient way keeping the fundamental structure and style intact. The working chamber and meeting hall have been constructed in line with the existing organization structure of the OPMCM without compromising international level services and facilities'.

It may be noted that the reconstructed front of the building was ravaged in an inferno of 2030 BS (June 1973) and then rebuilt in its original form by using new technology and modern construction materials in 2037 BS (1980 AD).

Now the building has been reconstructed to make it a well-appointed structure with fire extinguishing mechanism and air conditioning systems.

The reconstruction of the fronts, excluding VAT, has cost Rs 870 million, shared Shyam Kishor Singh, Project Director of Central Project Implementation Unit of the NRA which was looking after the reconstruction of Singhadurbar.

He further said that the retrofitting of the northern, southern and eastern part of the Singha Durbar was undertaken by using new technology and modern construction materials such as cement, sand, rod, and bonding chemical without compromising its antique forms and structures.

The reconstruction of the western front of the building has so far witnessed 50 percent physical progress. It is being rebuilt by the Sharma-Gauri Parbati- New Technical JV is retrofitting the front at the cost of Rs 468.8 million.