Nepal govt to construct new Parliament building

Nepal Prime Minister K P Oli on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for the new Parliament building, being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 7 billion.

The construction work of the building at Putali Bagaincha on Singha Durbar secretariat premises is scheduled to complete in the next two years, officials said.

The Nepal government is constructing the new structure as the current building lacks enough space to conduct meetings, they said.

The Nepal Parliament is currently housed at the New Baneshwor-based International Conference Centre building. The government pays an annual rent of Rs 150 million for the building.

The Ministry of Urban Development has estimated that the building will cost around Rs 7 billion, the officials said.

The new building will have two halls - one for the House of Representatives and one for the National Assembly. It will also have space for Parliament secretariat, separate offices for major political parties and parliamentary committees.

Nepal's Parliament has a total of 335 members, 275 House of Representatives and 60 upper House or National Assembly members.