Construction of New Federal Parliament Building Nears Completion

Kathmandu. The construction of the new Federal Parliament building at Putali Bagaincha in Singha Durbar has reached its final stages.

Work is currently underway day and night with the goal of completing the long-under-construction Federal Parliament building by the end of Ashar.

This information was shared by Ravindra Bohara, Director General of the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, during a meeting of the 'Public Policy and Delegated Legislation Committee' of the National Assembly.

He stated that the department is prioritizing the work. He said, 'The building was constructed using new technology, which caused some delays. However, it will be completed in the near future.'

Similarly, Roshan Shrestha, Chief of the Federal Parliament Building Construction Project, informed that the overall construction work of the project has been accelerated.

According to Project Chief Shrestha, 12 large buildings are being constructed in this project, which spans 156 ropanis of land, including the House of Representatives, National Assembly, VVIP chambers, library, cafeteria, parliamentary party offices, and security personnel quarters. Currently, the physical progress of the main civil construction has reached approximately 94 percent.

Three Separate Contracts and Work Progress

He stated that to accelerate the construction of such a large and sensitive project, it was divided into three main contracts (packages).

He mentioned that the physical progress of the civil construction work has reached 93.5 percent. Its financial progress is 84 percent. The financial progress appears lower than the physical progress because some work is completed but is still in the payment process.

According to him, the physical progress of the interior decoration, furniture, information technology (IT), HVAC, and security system installation is 50 percent, and financial progress is 46 percent. The project stated that since most of the materials have already arrived from abroad, the installation work will now proceed at a rapid pace.

A separate contract was issued for the construction of the roof and the massive dome located above the central lobby. The physical progress of this work is 25 percent, and financial progress is 20 percent.

Why was there a delay in construction? These are the main reasons

Project Chief Shrestha attributed the delay in the construction of the parliament building primarily to the invitation of tenders without prior preparation and major revisions that had to be made to the technical design later on. In the committee, he stated that the delay was caused by inviting tenders without prior preparation and a complete design.

According to Project Chief Shrestha, while such a large-scale building was being constructed in Nepal's history, the tender was issued without the design being complete. Construction began with only the design of the building's exterior structure (architectural and structural) prepared.

However, the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and air conditioning designs required for such a sensitive building were not ready. When it was time to start the interior work, there was a major problem regarding where to route electrical wires, how to place AC ducts, and how to manage plumbing. As a result, the design had to be revised repeatedly, which created obstacles in the work.

Foundation Stone Laid Before Site Clearance

When the contract was awarded and the foundation stone was laid, Putali Bagaincha was not completely cleared. There were barracks of the Nepali Army's Chandi Dal and Band Gulm. It took months just to clear the site by moving the army to Narayanhiti and demolishing two large buildings, which pushed the project back in the initial phase.

Lack of Coordination Between Contractors

Currently, three different contractor companies are working simultaneously under one roof on the project. A situation arose where interior work could not be done until the civil work was finished, and those doing the interior work hindered the civil work. Project Chief Shrestha informed that the pace of work slowed down due to a lack of coordination and one blocking the other's path.

Cost Increase and Budget Management

In the initial phase, the contract for the civil side was signed for 5 billion 67 million 27 lakh rupees (including VAT). However, as work progressed, the cost increased through variations due to changes in design, adjustments in the actual details of lump-sum works, and the addition of some new structures.

According to Project Chief Shrestha, after the first variation, the cost of the civil side has reached approximately 6 billion 29 million rupees. The final cost is yet to be determined as the process of reducing and adjusting some items is still ongoing. It has been stated that although financial progress appears low because some bills for completed work are yet to be paid, the work has not been stopped due to a lack of budget.

Goal to Finish by Ashar Working Day and Night

Project Chief Shrestha claimed that despite whatever technical and administrative weaknesses existed in the past, the project has now gained momentum. He claims that more work has been done in the last 3-4 months than in the previous year.

'We have now given strict instructions to the construction entrepreneurs. I myself am monitoring the work by staying at the site until 11:30 PM,' Shrestha told the committee. 'Currently, 430 to 450 workers are working day and night in two to three shifts.'

Now that not much work remains on the civil side and interior materials have arrived at the site, the main remaining tasks are fitting and commissioning (testing). The large 'LT panel' (electrical control system) to be used in the parliament building is on its way from India, and after it is installed, the entire system will be tested.