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Kathmandu, Feb 2: The Department of Urban Development and Building Construction has told the Chief Secretary and the Federal Parliament Secretariat that the main meeting hall and key VIP rooms of the new parliament building will be usable by the third week of March.

Director General Rabindra Bohara said senior officials from the department met Secretariat leaders to pass on the timeline. The issue gained urgency after the Secretariat asked the Chief Secretary to ensure a venue for a parliamentary session soon after the March 5 House of Representatives election. That request prompted the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to seek a clear update from the department.

Bohara said at least one main hall and VIP rooms for the prime minister, speaker, deputy speaker, opposition leaders, and other senior figures would be ready on time. He said contractors are working late hours and that pressure has been maintained to speed things up. Sound system equipment has already arrived, and chairs are now being purchased. Remaining work, he said, should wrap up within a month to six weeks.

The rush comes after the old parliament building at New Baneshwor was damaged during the Gen Z movement in September. With that site unusable, the Secretariat has raised concerns about where the next parliament would meet. More than 90 percent of the new building is complete, with around 375 to 380 workers on site each day. Even if the entire complex is not finished, priority will go to preparing the main hall, while interior work, lighting, and security installations continue.

The Secretariat has already ended its rental deal with the International Convention Center, which was also damaged, leaving the new building as the only option. Construction began six years ago, with the foundation laid by former prime minister KP Sharma Oli in September 2019. Costs later rose by Rs 560 million, with delays blamed on weak planning, design changes, and contract management issues.