After 17 years of holding sessions outside Singha Durbar, Nepal’s federal parliament is set to convene in its own building within the historic complex.
Following the general elections held on Falgun 21, the newly elected House of Representatives will take the oath in the under-construction parliamentary building at Singha Durbar. The swearing-in of all 275 members is scheduled for Chaitra 12 at 2 PM.
Since the formation of the 601-member Constituent Assembly after the elections on Chaitra 28, 2064, parliamentary sessions had been held at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Baneshwar due to space constraints at the old parliament building. Previously, sessions were conducted at the old gallery building in Singha Durbar, which had hosted Nepal’s parliamentary proceedings since 2016.
The ICC building was partially destroyed during the Gen Z fire movement on Bhadra 23–24, prompting parliament to seek alternative arrangements. Meanwhile, the National Assembly has been meeting temporarily in the Agriculture Committee hall at Singha Durbar since Magh 4.
The Federal Parliament Secretariat had an agreement with the ICC Development Committee since Jestha 2065 to use the ICC building, paying Rs 5.6 crore annually along with staff deployment. According to senior programme coordinator Deependra Bikram Singh, the rent increased by 10% annually, reaching Rs 16.5 crore by last Ashoj. The Secretariat had access to the main hall, eight additional halls, VIP rooms, parking, and gardens within the ICC’s 153-ropani campus.
After the Gen Z movement, the Secretariat unilaterally terminated the agreement from last Ashoj. Since the main hall of the new Singha Durbar parliamentary building is not yet fully completed, a multi-purpose hall will be used temporarily for the initial session. Secretary General spokesperson Ekram Giri confirmed that this arrangement is temporary until the main hall is ready.
Preparations for the first House of Representatives meeting commenced after the final election results were published by the Election Commission. Senior member Arjun Narasingh KC will be sworn in by President Ramchandra Paudel at Shital Niwas on Wednesday, after which he will administer the oath to all newly elected representatives on Chaitra 12.
According to Article 93 of the Constitution of Nepal, the President must convene the federal parliament within 30 days of the final election results.
The foundation stone of the new parliamentary building in Putali Bagh, Singha Durbar, was laid on Ashoj 1, 2076. Roshan Shrestha, Deputy Director General of the Department of Urban Development and Construction, said most of the construction work is complete, with some technical work still pending. Civil construction costs are estimated at Rs 5.5–6 billion, with an additional Rs 2.34 billion for interior works.
Once completed across more than 151 ropani, the new parliament complex will house all parliamentary activities, including separate buildings for the House of Representatives and National Assembly, VIP rooms, office blocks, a library, and 12 total buildings. The main building will feature an 8-hall structure, a 350-seat joint lobby, offices for 10 parliamentary parties, four VIP rooms, two Secretariat buildings, and a dedicated library.
Discussion about this post