As Nepal Telecom (NT) has reneged on its promise of rebuilding Dharahara, the government is now considering to launch the project on its own. The National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) has stated that it is finalising a modality for the reconstruction of Dharahara.

The nine-storey tower, built in 1832 by then prime minister Bhimsen Thapa, was destroyed in the April 25, 2015 earthquake. 

The NT, which had requested the government to allow it to reconstruct the historic monument, had backtracked from the project last week. 

“We are making preparations for rebuilding Dharahara on our own,” Raju Man Manandhar, joint secretary at the NRA said, adding that a meeting of the NRA executive committee will soon take the decision. The NRA is currently discussing the lead agency for initiating the process. According to Manandhar, the reconstruction work might be assigned to the Central Level Project Implementation Unit (CLPIU) under the Ministry of Urban Development or the Department of Archaeology (DoA). There is a possibility of NRA taking up the project itself. 

The state-owned telecom giant had backtracked from the project following disagreements with the NRA on certain issues. The NT had earlier proposed that it would invest around Rs 8 billion and manage the property for a period of 30 years after the completion of the structure.

While the NT had planned to recover its investment by using the structure for commercial purpose, the NRA was against the proposal. The DoA too had expressed its reservation about NT’s plan, saying that using a structure of historical significance for commercial purpose is not a good idea. 

Despite backtracking on the project, the NT has pledged Rs1 billion for the reconstruction of the monument.