Kathmandu, June 18: The contractor for the new parliament building at Singha Durbar has sought a fifth deadline extension, proposing a one-year extension to the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DUDBC). However, DUDBC Director General Macha Kaji Maharjan said a full-year extension is unlikely, and discussions are ongoing.
DUDBC staff remain undecided on whether to grant the extension until Mangsir (mid-November to mid-December). “There’s no guarantee the contractor will finish even in a year,” noted an official. The extension request was submitted in Jestha (mid-May to mid-June), following the 14th amendment to the Public Procurement Regulations, which now allows such requests with an updated work schedule and a no-claim commitment.
Extensions can be approved if delays were due to government actions, budget shortfalls, or contractual “compensation events” like delayed site handover or designs. Requests must be submitted within 30 days of the amendment's effective date, and decisions must also be made within 30 days. Failure to do so could result in departmental action against officials.
On October 3, 2019, the government signed a Rs 5.02 billion contract with Tunditech JV to complete the building in three years. In Falgun 2080 (Feb–March 2024), a Rs 560 million increase was approved via a Variation Order. Despite repeated inspections by top officials and committees, only 86% of the work is reportedly completed, with no fixed timeline for full completion.
Parliamentary sessions have been held at the rented International Convention Center in New Baneshwor since 2064 BS (2007 AD). The Monitoring and Evaluation Committee inspected the building in Baisakh (mid-April to mid-May) and was told preparations were being made to grant up to 200 days extension.
Multiple ministers, including current Minister Prakash Man Singh, have inspected the site and urged quicker work. Successive ministers after the 2079 elections (2022) promised to hold sessions in the new building, but none of the timelines—from winter session to one-year pledges—have been met.
The government has borne the cost of the dome design change. A senior ministry official cited poor enforcement of contractor duties, inadequate DPR study, frequent design changes, and insufficient consultant time as key causes of delay.
People's Review News Monitoring Service