The International Convention Centre at New Baneshwor will continue to house the federal parliament comprised of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly.

The Parliament Secretariat has been renting the ICC premises since the first Constituent Assembly elections in 2008. The parliament building on the Singha Durbar premises, where the legislature functioned for decades, became too small for the 601 CA members. There were 205 members of the lower House since the restoration of democracy in 1990. Moreover, the building in Singha Durbar that suffered damage in the earthquakes two years ago has yet to be renovated.

The Parliament Secretariat is preparing to extend the contract with the ICC management, Secretary Him Lal Subedi told the Post. The hall where the CA met will hold the Lower House while the Upper House will convene in the Nutse Hall.

As the federal parliament will have 275 lawmakers, less than half of the CA strength, the secretariat is working to refurnish the hall. The National Assembly will have 59 members. It would be easier for the secretariat to manage both the assemblies at the same venue.

The long overdue plan to construct a new parliament building has not materialised, necessitating occupation of the convention centre built with Chinese aid. Outgoing Speaker Onasari Gharti told the last meeting of the House on October 14 that efforts to build the new structure had failed. A design for the new building is ready but allocation of land and budget for construction has yet to be done.