The recent Gen Z protests that swept across the nation have left vast swathes of public infrastructure in tatters.

The enraged protesters set fire to administrative buildings of four of Nepal’s six metropolitan city offices—Biratnagar, Birgunj, Bharatpur and Pokhara—destroying dozens of ward offices, hundreds of vehicles and official records. The four metropolises are now struggling to deliver essential services from the ruins of their scorched buildings, relying on whatever infrastructure remains intact.

In Biratnagar, a blue tarpaulin tent now hangs in the municipal courtyard, under which Deputy Mayor Shilpa Niraula Karki has been conducting hearings and resolving public grievances. On Wednesday alone, in her capacity as head of the judicial committee, she presided over three separate cases. Only days ago, the municipal court resembled a mini courthouse, bustling with activity. But since the September 9 protests left the entire municipal complex vandalised, looted, and burned, officials have been working under extreme constraints.

“After the building was destroyed, we had to continue so that people’s services would not stop. No public service has been halted, and none will be," said Karki.

The once-grand administrative building now stands in ruins. Departments handling law, health, revenue, planning, and sanitation have placed desks and chairs in damaged rooms to keep operations running. But many records have been lost. “All project-related files were burned to ashes,” said Ankit Bhattarai, engineer at the planning section. “Now we are uncertain how to process payments.”

Of Biratnagar’s 19 ward offices, 13 suffered damage during the protests. Karki said a detailed damage assessment is underway and will be made public soon. “It’s too early to even estimate the extent,” she admitted. “The loss is far greater than we anticipated.”

While the main structure was gutted, engineers from Manmohan Technical University have concluded after inspection that the building can still be repaired rather than demolished. The municipality plans to prepare cost estimates soon and begin renovation work.

Birgunj Metropolitan City resumed basic sanitation services the very next day after protesters torched its administrative complex. By Wednesday, the revenue unit restarted operations from the Information Technology Section’s office. “The main revenue records were destroyed. We are now collecting data from ward offices to rebuild the records," said Manoj Karn, chief of the revenue unit.

The accounting section began functioning last Thursday from the Safe Migration Project office, while administration, registration, economic development, agriculture, forestry, environment, and mapping services resumed on Monday. Deputy Mayor Imtiaz Alam confirmed that multiple departments are now operating from the municipal police quarters above his office. Priority has been given to paying staff salaries, with officials aiming to complete all disbursements by Thursday.

Preliminary estimates show that Birgunj Metropolis’ property worth around Rs1.15 billion was damaged in arson, vandalism, and looting. Four ward offices and several health institutions were also damaged, though full assessments have yet to be made. Seventeen four-wheelers and nine motorcycles, and even an ambulance were destroyed, while the main administrative building and the chief administrative officer's residence are beyond repair and set to be disposed of. Other departments are operating from surviving structures.

Despite its main office building, which was destroyed in an arson attack on September 9, Bharatpur Metropolitan City has announced that most municipal services have already resumed. The compound, once bustling with activity, now lies eerily quiet, with charred furniture pushed aside as employees attempt to work amid the ruins.

The anti-corruption protests began on September 8 when demonstrators gathered outside the municipal office, prompting police to fire two rounds in the air and lob tear gas shells. Three people were hit by bullet shrapnel, and 14 others were injured. By the next day, protests had spread nationwide, leading to arson and vandalism across Chitwan, including Bharatpur’s administrative building and 20 of its 29 ward offices. Offices in wards 3, 6, 19, and 21 were so badly damaged they are now unusable.

“Even when our building was destroyed, our first priority was to resume services,” said Bikas Thapa, chair of ward 3, which is now operating from a nearby health unit.

Chief Administrative Officer Laxmi Prasad Paudel estimated the damage at over Rs500 million, noting that revenue collection software remains down and payment processing for contracted projects may be delayed because records were destroyed.

Temporary offices have been set up in the municipal police quarters, and a new administrative complex, which is under construction, is expected to be operational within four months.

Meanwhile, the municipality has pledged Rs1 million to help the local land revenue office, also destroyed in the fires, resume essential services. Security has been tightened after thefts of electrical wiring and internet equipment from damaged buildings.

In Pokhara, the metropolitan office has been nearly wholly unusable. Its original building is a charred shell, so the city has designated alternate locations for essential services. Pokhara City Hall has been turned into a temporary civic centre: revenue, records, registration, and municipal police offices are among those relocated there. The staffers of the mayor, deputy mayor, and the administration are also working from temporary offices.

“This is a stopgap arrangement,” said Dhanaraj Acharya, mayor of Pokhara Metropolis. “We are printing forms manually; when systems are down, we write by hand. It’s not what you expect, but this is the best we can do now.” He warned that some services—especially those requiring archival records—are likely to remain unreliable, possibly for weeks.