Kathmandu, May 3

The next time you need to catch a city bus, go to Khula Manch instead of Old Bus Park.

Khula Manch will serve as a temporary city bus park for at least three years from tomorrow as the Kathmandu Metropolitan City plans to begin construction of Kathmandu Tower, a 12-storey state-of-the-art business complex, in Old Bus Park from this week.

Manoj Kumar Bhetwal, chief of Swochanda Jaleshwor, the company that has been awarded the contract to construct the complex, said the existing bus park will be moved to Khula Manch from tomorrow.

“It would take at least three years to construct the Kathmandu Tower. So, we made an arrangement for a temporary bus park in Khula Manch,” he informed.

Gyanendra Karki, KMC spokesperson, said the government awarded the contract to build Kathmandu Tower to Swochanda Jaleshwor and that the latter would begin construction work from tomorrow.

“We chose Khula Manch due to unavailability of adequate open spaces in other accessible areas of Kathmandu. It is also close to the Old Bus Park,” reasoned Karki. Around 900 passenger buses arrived in and departed from the Old Bus Park every day.

After the completion of the tower, it will be used as a bus terminal and will also have a hospital, cinema hall, hotel and shops.

The estimated cost of the project is Rs 7 billion.