The construction process of the new parliament building was underway to prepare it for the meeting of the parliament that will be formed after the 2079 general election. Even as the date of the meeting of the parliament that will be formed after the next new election in three years approaches, it is not certain whether the building will be ready or not.
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A large number of people are excited as the election results are coming in. The newly elected MPs are also in a hurry to participate in the parliament meeting and put forward their agendas. The upheaval of the election results confirms that the Nepali people want to move forward at a rapid pace to fulfill their aspirations and dreams. However, our working style and system are not in line with that. A strong reference to confirm this is the delay in the construction of the new parliament building.
The construction process of the new parliament building was underway to prepare it for the meeting of the parliament to be formed after the 2079 general election. Even as the day of the meeting of the parliament to be formed after the next new election in three years approaches, it is not certain whether the building will be ready or not. Even when it is ready, it is certain that it will be incomplete. Therefore, it is necessary for the next government to work hard to create effective and practical laws and systems to end the delays in the construction process.
The new parliament building is being constructed on an area of 156 ropanis in the Singha Durbar complex. The new building is up to five stories high. The House of Representatives, the National Assembly Building, the Central Lobby, the Office Building for the Very Distinguished Persons, the Library and the Museum are being prepared there. A contract agreement was signed for this on 16 Asoj 2076. The construction contract was taken by Tundi-SEC JV at a cost of 5.67 billion rupees.
According to the agreement, the parliament building was to be completed by 16 Asoj 2079. However, even after that, the deadline has been extended five times. The work has not been completed. The deadline was extended for the first time on 30 Chaitra 2079, the second time on 19 Asoj 2080, the third time on 19 Chaitra 2080, the fourth time on 18 Chaitra 2081 and the fifth time on 16 Poush 2082. But since the work could not be completed even within the fifth extension, preparations are being made to extend it again for a short period.
There is a legal provision that a session should be called and held within 30 days of the date of the final election results. The last time the House of Representatives was elected on 4 Mangsir 2079, the final vote results were submitted to the President on 29 Mangsir. Then, on 7 Poush, the MPs took the oath, and the first meeting of the House of Representatives was held in Poush. It is seen from previous experience that the oath was taken a month after the vote and the first meeting was held 50 days later. This time, it may or may not take the same amount of time.
However, it can be generally estimated that the building should be ready for the swearing-in of the MPs within a month. Since it is a new building, it also takes about ten days for the management by the Parliament Secretariat. Therefore, only less time is available. Extra effort is required for this. If the time for publishing the final results is postponed or the time for the oath is pushed back without the Parliament building being ready, it reflects the state's helplessness.
The Ministry of Urban Development, the concerned ministry for the construction of the parliament building, also showed its weakness. Even though there was little progress in the work being done by its subordinate bodies, it did not take any concrete steps. It should have monitored the slow progress. It should have put pressure. If there was any legal or procedural problem, it should have been resolved and facilitated. Since that could not happen, there is uncertainty as to whether the new MPs coming with new energy will even get a place to take oath or not. Because, even the Federal Parliament Secretariat has not been very positive and enthusiastic. It is not possible to rely on the building being ready immediately and it has also experienced difficulties in terms of security and management in holding oaths or meetings elsewhere.
The under-construction parliament building, on the one hand, weakens the dignity of the highest institution of people's representation. On the other hand, the negligence in the construction of any building or project, the tendency to not work when there is time, and the pressure to finish the work in a hurry in the end, make one think about the possible shortcomings in quality in all aspects.
If the pace and priority of the construction of the Parliament building inside Singha Durbar is like this, one can easily guess what the situation will be like for the projects being carried out in the distant future. Therefore, it can be said that the delay in the construction of the Parliament building is a model of chaos. The situation that will happen whether the body in charge works on time or not should end. For this, the new government should prioritize where and how improvements can be made.
