KATHMANDU, APRIL 30
Nearly six years after the 2015 earthquakes, the National Reconstruction Authority said 493 out of 920 damaged cultural heritage sites were constructed, while 288 were under-construction. They include recently inaugurated Ranipokhari and Dharahara upon completion of their reconstruction.
Similarly, the northern, southern, and eastern facades of Singha Durbar, the main complex of the administrative headquarters, was inaugurated on February 15 and the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has already started functioning from reconstructed building.
According to statistics released by the NRA, the restoration of historic buildings Keshar Mahal, Babar Mahal, Bal Mandir and Ranoddip Palace on the Narayanhiti Museum premises is going on. The master-plan for the integrated development of Kathmandu that includes Ranipokhari, Tundikhel, Ratna Park, Khula Manch, Bhrikuti Mandap, Dashrath Stadium and Loktantrik Sangrahalaya is in the final stage of approval. Master-plans have also been prepared for the development of Narayanhiti Museum, Gorkha and Nuwakot durbar areas and seven archaeological heritage sites of Kathmandu Valley. Out of 402 monasteries which required restoration due to damage caused by the earthquakes, 294 have been completed.
Out of 895 monasteries that needed to be rebuilt, process has begun to rebuild 264 monasteries. A total of 36 of them are more than 100 years old and have more than 2,000 square feet of plinth area.
The construction process has also begun for 101 of 631 monasteries that are less than 100 years old and have less than 2,000 square feet of plinth area.
As per the NRA, the Department of Archaeology will be responsible for rebuilding archaeological heritages and yet-to-be rebuilt monasteries that are more than 100 years old. The reconstruction of remaining monasteries will be done through the Department of Local Infrastructures in coordination with the Monastery Management Committee. Likewise, the NRA said 83 per cent of 7,553 schools were rebuilt during the period, while 17 per cent of schools are under-construction. The NRA said it had aimed to complete the reconstruction of these schools within running fiscal. Out of 1,197 health institutions, 698 have been rebuilt and rebuilding of 296 is continuing. During this period, 525 kilometres road out of 762 kilometres needed to be rebuilt has been completed and the rest will be completed within this fiscal, it informed.
The NRA claimed that it had made significant achievement despite many challenges like political instability, blockade, lack of financial and human resources, geographic difficulties, transition to federalism, election of three tiers of the government and integration of staffers. The total budget requirement for reconstruction now is 488 billion rupees as per the revision made on the basis of approved five-year reconstruction and rehabilitation plan. Out of this, the government and donor agencies have spent Rs 357 billion.
A version of this article appears in the print on May 1, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
