BHAKTAPUR: Madhyapur Thimi Municipality is facing mounting pressures from different quarters to lift the seal on the construction of 300-bed Tuberculosis (TB) Hospital at Madhyapur Thimi in Bhaktapur.

The municipality on December 28 had put a seal on the construction of the hospital building of National Tuberculosis Centre stating that the building was being constructed illegally, without providing prior information to the municipality and ignoring the compliance of standards.

The municipality team - headed by Mayor Madan Sundar Shrestha, along with Chief Administration Officer Kamal Gyawali, Legal Officer Keshav Silwal, Ward Chief of ward 4 Kumar Shrestha, and police - had sealed the construction, citing it was carried out without taking the prior approval of the municipality.

According to the municipality administration, the municipality office is facing increasing pressure from leaders of political parties at local and central levels, Chief District Officer, personal assistants of ministers, employees of Ministry of Local Development and Ministry of Health, and Chief of Department of Building Construction, Bhaktapur to lift the seal on the construction of hospital building.

The municipality sources said that the National TB Centre was ignoring the municipality’s requests for initiating the process of approval for the building construction.

Director of National TB Centre Dr Kedar Narsingh KC shared his view that the construction work started by one government authority need not have been restricted by another government authority, and that the Centre has started preparations to begin the procedures of compliance with the municipality to resume construction.