GORKHA, Oct 15: The reconstruction of government buildings in Barpak, Gorkha, that were severely damaged by the 2015 earthquake, has been picking up pace of late.
According to the District Project Implementation Office, some buildings have already been rebuilt while six other buildings are under-construction. The reconstruction of Gorkha District Court started on Nov 6, 2016, aiming at completing the construction within two years at an estimated cost of Rs 146.30 million.
However, only 82 percent of the reconstruction work has been completed, according to Tulasi Bhakta Construction Pvt Ltd – the company that got the contract to reconstruct the buildings. Meanwhile, the company claims that the work has gained pace in recent times, and the reconstruction will be completed by the next two years.
21 govt offices that had collapsed in 2015 quake rebuilt
According to Kedar Thapa Magar, a technician at the Project Implementation Unit, the reconstruction work was moving smoothly at the initial stage. He also claimed that the reconstruction has slowed down in recent times.
“The deadlines for the reconstruction of these buildings ended in June this year, but as the work was not completed, the contract was extended by four months. The company is now asking the authorities to extend the deadline by an additional two months, claiming the reconstruction will be completed in six months,” Thapa said, adding that 90 percent of the reconstruction work has already been completed.
Rabeena/Danfe/Dragon joint venture had bagged the contract for reconstructing the buildings at a cost of Rs 160 million. As the reconstruction has been delayed, the government offices have rented private buildings for operation. The heads of the offices said that they have been facing different problems while running the offices in rented buildings. Meanwhile, the National Investigation Department has been operating in a small room of the District Administration Office.
Nareshwor Health Post at Gorkha Municipality-3 is also under-construction. The contract to construct the building was handed to New Dragon/Future and BG Joint ventures at Rs 16.5 million. By now, only 40 percent work has been completed.
Meanwhile, Prakash Dhakal, an engineer of the municipality said that most of the buildings are being reconstructed without talking permission from the municipality.
