Bagmati Province Finalizes Land Acquisition for Integrated Administrative Complex Construction

Makwanpur. The land acquisition process for the construction of the integrated administrative structure (ministry buildings) of the Bagmati Province Government has finally concluded. The path to construction has opened after the Federal Council of Ministers meeting resolved the plan, which had been entangled in legal processes for land acquisition since 2076 BS.

Since the provincial structure was established in 2074 BS, Bagmati Province has seen five Chief Ministers and over 80 ministers. Until now, due to the lack of its own organized buildings, the province's ministries have been forced to operate from cramped government buildings and rented houses.

Although past governments allocated budget annually, the construction of the administrative structure could not proceed because the right to possess the land was not obtained.

According to Ishwar Chandra Marhatha, Secretary of the Province's Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development, 31.02 hectares of forest land proposed in Wards 16 and 17 of Hetauda Sub-Metropolitan City has been acquired for the construction of the Bagmati Province Government's administrative buildings. The federal government has already given approval to remove 5,226 trees and poles of various species located in that area.

He stated that field work will commence after some procedures for tree felling and an agreement with the Department of Forest. He added that the remaining procedures will be completed soon because the provincial government has already ensured the necessary funds for the conservation and plantation of trees and saplings in the area during the land acquisition.

Secretary Marhatha stated that the Bagmati Province Council of Ministers, in its meeting in Bhadra, had already agreed, including the decision to deposit the necessary amount as per the Environmental Impact Assessment report into the 'Forest Fund'.

He informed that although a detailed project report was initially prepared in the 'Singha Durbar Model' to accommodate 14 ministries, some modifications are being made to that design considering the current needs and effectiveness.

The plan for constructing the integrated provincial administrative structure was first put forward by the then Chief Minister Dormani Poudel in 2075 BS. Although he searched for land for the construction of provincial capital structures, he could not bring it to a conclusion.

"Our technical team is slightly modifying the previous design so that the structure is more modern, effective, and less expensive," he said.

Secretary Marhatha stated that the provincial government aims to start the procurement (tendering) process for the construction of the administrative buildings within this fiscal year. He mentioned that the tender will be called immediately after the tree felling is complete. He clarified that once the design project and construction work begin and are completed, all ministries of Bagmati Province will operate from one location, facilitating service delivery.

How the Structure Construction Plan Began

The plan for constructing the integrated provincial administrative structure was first put forward by the then Chief Minister Dormani Poudel in 2075 BS. Although he searched for land for the construction of provincial capital structures, he could not bring it to a conclusion.

Thereafter, efforts were made during the tenures of Chief Ministers Rajendra Pandey and Shalikram Jamkattel, but the land acquisition process could not be finalized.

The then government had prepared the project to be built at Depotchaur in Hetauda-17 and had corresponded multiple times with the Federal Government. However, this matter did not reach a conclusion. Recently, the legal knot of land acquisition loosened after the National Planning Commission of the Federal Government designated the plan as a 'National Pride Project'.

Following coordination and lobbying with the Prime Minister's Office during the tenure of former Chief Minister Bahadur Singh Lama, the National Planning Commission decided to designate the plan as a National Pride Project on Chaitra 6, 2081 BS. After the Commission's decision letter was received by the Chief Minister's Office via the Prime Minister's Office, correspondence was made with the Federal Ministry of Forest and Environment and the Ministry of Land Management for land acquisition.

The provincial government has prepared a plan to construct administrative structures on 31.02 hectares of land at Depotchaur by establishing the Provincial Capital Infrastructure Development Special Project. The EIA was conducted for the construction of 25 modern structures, including the Chief Minister's Office, 10 ministries, the Provincial Assembly building, security agencies, the Public Service Commission, the Policy and Planning Commission, banks, a cafeteria, and a childcare center.

Following coordination and lobbying with the Prime Minister's Office during the tenure of former Chief Minister Bahadur Singh Lama, the National Planning Commission decided to designate the plan as a National Pride Project on Chaitra 6, 2081 BS. After the Commission's decision letter was received by the Chief Minister's Office via the Prime Minister's Office, correspondence was made with the Federal Ministry of Forest and Environment and the Ministry of Land Management for land acquisition.

However, the file was held up again due to the lack of assurance for the compensation amount for the forest area in that region.

The process moved forward again after the provincial government decided to deposit the necessary amount for tree felling compensation and afforestation into the 'Forest Fund'. The provincial government has prepared a plan to construct administrative structures on 31.02 hectares of land at Depotchaur by establishing the Provincial Capital Infrastructure Development Special Project.

This project includes 27.57 hectares of forest area (Ghyampe and Churekali Community Forests) and 3.45 hectares of school and public land.