Bagmati Provincial Assembly to Resume Session in Temporary Hall After Protests

Makwanpur. The Bagmati Provincial Assembly meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at 4:00 PM. The session will be held at the Chief Minister's assembly hall located within the Hetauda Sub-Metropolitan City premises.

The provincial assembly proceedings were disrupted after the assembly secretariat, the assembly hall, and provincial government structures were set on fire during the Gen-Z protests. The assembly had not met since the session held on Shrawan 27.

Deputy Speaker Apsara Chapagain stated that preparations have been made to hold the assembly meeting after conducting minor repairs to the building damaged during the protests.

With the Speaker's position vacant, Deputy Speaker Chapagain has been actively managing the assembly operations, secretariat, and hall arrangements. Former Speaker Bhuwan Kumar Pathak had announced his resignation during the protests and submitted a written resignation on Ashoj 1, which was officially notified on Mangsir 4 following the end of the parliamentary session.

Deputy Speaker Chapagain mentioned that after a long interval, preparations are underway to resume provincial assembly activities. Speaking to journalists in Hetauda on Thursday, she explained that due to the damage to the provincial assembly building, the upcoming meeting will be conducted in a temporary hall within the Hetauda municipality premises. According to Chapagain, since the original secretariat building was destroyed by fire, operations will be conducted from two locations for the time being.

'Arrangements have been made for the secretariat, parliamentary party offices, and security personnel to operate from the old secretariat building after repairs,' she said. 'The municipal hall will be used as a temporary meeting venue until the building is reconstructed. A sound system has been rented for the new venue, and a generator has been provided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The secretariat has completed preparations by purchasing necessary items such as tables, chairs, and curtains.'

Meeting Agenda and Schedule

The agenda for Tuesday's 4:00 PM meeting will be decided by the Business Advisory Committee. Deputy Speaker Chapagain stated that an all-party meeting is scheduled for 1:00 PM, followed by a Business Advisory Committee meeting at 2:00 PM.

Tuesday's session will include the reading of letters received from the Office of the Province Chief, the nomination of members for assembly operations as per the regulations, and congratulatory remarks from the leaders of six political parties.

Beyond that, proceedings will follow the decisions of the Business Advisory Committee. She noted that there is an agenda to provide 'special time' for provincial members to raise issues concerning their respective constituencies.

According to her, upcoming assembly meetings are expected to include the presentation of the post-legislative scrutiny report on the Vehicle and Transport Management Act, bills related to provincial financial procedures and financial responsibility, and provincial water supply and sanitation. Annual reports from the Provincial Public Service Commission and the Indigenous Nationalities Commission are also on the agenda.

Deputy Speaker Chapagain added that the upcoming meetings may also initiate the process for electing a new Speaker to fill the vacancy. The agenda for the Speaker's election could be finalized based on the consensus reached during Tuesday's all-party meeting. She stated that the notice for the Speaker's election will be issued according to the decision of the all-party meeting. Constitutionally, the appointment process must begin within 15 days of the assembly meeting held while the Speaker's position is vacant.