After the completion of elections for country’s vital positions, the Legislative-Parliament is all set to take up the much-awaited bill on the formation of National Reconstruction Authority.

The Legislative Committee of Parliament has prepared the bill after consultations with key stakeholders. It committee is likely to endorse the bill on Friday for the Parliament Secretariat to table it in Parliament on Sunday.

Parliament has completed the election of President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Speaker and Deputy Speaker as per the provisions in the new constitution adopted on September 20. “Our top priority business now is the bill on the formation of Reconstruction Authority,” said Parliament Secretariat spokesperson Bharat Raj Gautam.

The erstwhile government led by the Nepali Congress introduced an ordinance for the formation of the authority and appointed former Vice-chairman of the National Planning Commission Govinda Pokhrel as its chief executive. However, government’s failure to replace the new bill made the authority passive. The government is under pressure to speed up the formation of the authority soon. However, the major parties are divided over the appointment of its CEO, with the main opposition Nepali Congress staking claim to the position amid objection from the others.  

The reconstruction of infrastructure damaged by the April 25 earthquake has not started though winter is approaching. The parties have reached an understanding on the content of the bill. Though more than a dozen countries and donors have pledged billions of dollars for the reconstruction works, the lack of such mechanism is creating obstacles.

Officials at the Parliament Secretariat said they would make preparations for the presentation of other bills registered in Parliament after consultation with the government. Another urgent bill is related to the formation of a high-level mechanism to deal with natural disasters. The law making process had been affected for the last seven years as the parliamentarians were busy drafting a new constitution, the officials said, “Parliament will now engage in the law-making business.”