A technical team from China has initiated survey of the earthquake-ravaged Nuwakot Durbar for its reconstruction.

Technicians from the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage started works on Thursday. According to palace caretakers, eight Chinese technicians have been surveying the seven-storey palace and its vicinity.

The historic palace built by Prithvi Narayan Shah was damaged in the 2015 earthquake. The palace walls have been propped up with iron poles to keep it upright. Visitors are barred from entering the dilapidated palace. The surrounding buildings like Rangamahal and Garadghar were also destroyed in the quake.

The Chinese team has been taking photographs of the palace using drone camera and collecting soil for laboratory test. Chinese authorities had signed an agreement with the Department of Archaeology for reconstruction of the palace. The locals have demanded that palace rebuilding be carried out by the government itself. They fear that commissioning foreigners to restore the palace will undermine its authenticity.

Arjun Phuyal, chief at the Nuwakot Palace Museum, said the monuments would be renovated, retrofitted or reconstructed based on engineers’ suggestions.