KATHMANDU, JULY 26

The government has said it is preparing to retrofit the Gallery Baithak, the old Parliament building at Singha Durbar, from mid-December.

The Ministry of Urban Development informed office-bearers of the Delegated Legislation and Government Assurances Committee under the National Assembly in a meeting today that Gallery Baithak would be retrofitted in its original style.

Minister for Urban Development Sita Gurung assured that the historical building carrying unique Nepali architectural significance would be retrofitted and rebuilt as per its original design. 'The building stands as a witness of parliamentary history of Nepal,' Minister Gurung said He assured that there would be no damage to the architectural style of the building during its retrofitting and rebuilding. An action-plan has been forwarded to retrofit and rebuild the Gallery Baithak as a museum so that the future generation can obtain knowledge about Nepal's parliamentary history, according to Minister Gurung.

Preparing an action-plan for reconstruction, budget management and implementation of the Gallery Baithak fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Urban Development.

It is estimated that retrofitting and rebuilding a century old building in its original style would be costlier since it requires mud and traditional materials.

According to the Director-General of the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction Surendra Mohan Shrestha, the design work for the building construction has already been expedited, adding, 'The bidding process is expected to begin once the design report is received by mid-August.'

He further said, 'We are making efforts to preserve the original structure of this building which holds a 100-year-old history. Our focus is on maintaining its authenticity in terms of design and architecture.'

In the current fiscal year, Rs 150 million has been allocated to undertake the retrofitting of the building.

The Rana-era building was damaged by the 2015 earthquakes. Since then, there have been discussions on whether to retrofit or rebuild it.

Nepal's parliamentary history began in 1959 from that building.

Earlier in the meeting, Director General Shrestha said efforts made by the members not to erase the history of Gallery Baithak carrying the unique values of Nepaliness, architecture and painting was going to materialise. 'We are very happy that the building is getting retrofitted,' said the Committee President Maya Prasad Sharma.

Members Tulasa Kumari Dahal and Garima Shah stressed that the unique Nepali traditional architectural style should be reflected in the building.

In the parliamentary history of the country, the House of Representatives meeting used to be held in the Gallery Baithak for a long time. However, the Parliament shifted to the Parliament Building in New Baneshwor after the number of HoR members increased to 601 following the election of the Constituent Assembly.

A version of this article appears in the print on July 27, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.