KATHMANDU: Constituent Assembly (CA) Chairman Subas Chandra Nembang today urged the political parties to be serious so as to promulgate the constitution-drafting process by May 28 next year -- the deadline set by the Interim Constitution. Upon receiving the concept paper and preliminary draft prepared by the CA's Committee on Fundamental Rights and State's Directive Principle, Nembang drew the party's attention over the historical task as just seven months are left. The committee had finished its work on Friday.

However, four other thematic committees, including the Forms of Governance of the State and State Restructuring Committee, are yet to prepare their concept papers and preliminary drafts.

As per the sixth amendment of the CA work schedule, the CA full House had to finish discussions on reports of all the thematic committees and submit them to the Constitutional Committees by mid-November.

"Going by the pace of work of other committees, it seems that we have to re-schedule the CA work plan," Nembang said, "But we cannot change the final date of promulgating the constitution."

He said that the constitution-making process through the CA was a complex, expensive and time-consuming but it was more participatory, inclusive and as per the people's desire. According to the CA chair, it was consuming more time as the new constitution had to adopt federalism, republic, secularism and the principle of inclusiveness. Although the CA committee on Fundamental Rights and State's Directive Principles submitted its concept paper and draft on various issues, including citizenship, fundamental rights of the people, state's directive principle and citizen's fundamental duties, the committee members had 19 divergent views on the total 54 proposed articles to be incorporated in the new statute.