The Karnali Provincial Assembly is meeting on Sunday for the first time since the September Gen Z protests of last year, which severely damaged the assembly building.

The winter session is scheduled to begin at 1pm, according to the Provincial Assembly Secretariat.

A meeting of the provincial cabinet on January 23 decided to recommend to Province Head Yagyaraj Joshi to convene the winter session.

The sixth session of the assembly had ended on August 6 after endorsing the policies, programmes and budget for the current fiscal year 2025-26.

This session will be held outside the regular assembly hall, as the building is still undergoing repairs following extensive damage during the protests. The meeting will take place at the auditorium of the Agriculture and Livestock Business Promotion Training Centre, which falls under the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives.

During the protests, demonstrators vandalised and set fire to buildings inside the Provincial Assembly Secretariat complex, causing extensive damage. Furniture, electronic equipment, vehicles and other physical infrastructure were destroyed.

According to the secretariat, the total physical damage from arson and vandalism amounted to Rs394.16 million.

Provincial Assembly Secretary Jeevraj Budhathoki said the assembly building is not yet fit to host sessions, forcing the authorities to adopt alternative arrangements.

Preparations were initially made to run the session from the assembly’s own information technology hall, but the venue was later shifted to the training centre. Sessions will continue there until the temporary assembly hall under construction at the assembly complex is completed.