Kathmandu, October 31

Kathmandu Metropolitan City has decided to reconstruct its office building, which was badly damaged in the 2015 earthquakes.

Organising a press meet here today, KMC also made public the proposed design of the building and said its front face would retain the original architectural design. It also said that the new building would be constructed at the cost of

Rs 1.5 billion within 42 months.

Speaking at the press meet, KMC Mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya referring to differences over demolition of the structure with the Department of Archaeology said, “Bag Durbar is no longer in existence. The building we call Bag Durbar is actually Hari Bhawan. So, how can we demolish a building that is not even in existence?”

He added, “The building we are demolishing is Hari Bhawan.” The new building will have three separate parts with different architectural designs. The first part, which will be a three-storey building, will retain the architectural design of Bag Durbar.”

The second part, which will be a six-storey building, will follow Lichchhavi-era architecture, while the third part will be built in the design of a tower. The tower will have 15 storeys.

The new KMC office building will also have a room for emergency treatment of service-seekers. KMC said the new building would have disabled-friendly structures.

However, the Department of Archaeology said it would not allow KMC to demolish the old structure. “It does not matter whether the old building is more than 100 years old. It is still an architectural treasure and we should preserve it,” DoA Spokesperson Ram Bahadur Kunbar told The Himalayan Times, adding, “We must preserve Bag Durbar by retrofitting and we have already discussed this with KMC.”

After the 2015 earthquakes damaged the building, KMC office has been shifted to Teku and City Hall.