Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has issued instruction to restore the main palace building inside the Singha Durbar complex, the seat of government, that was heavily damaged by earthquakes in April and May of 2015.

Following the PM’s instruction, the Prime Minister’s Office convened a meeting of the representatives from the concerned government agencies on Friday to lay down the plan for the project.

At the meeting, PMO Secretary Tanka Mani Sharma conveyed the prime minister’s directive to restore the palace building. 

We need a comprehensive report on the damage caused to the building before beginning the project as per the prime minister’s wish, Sharma said. The project’s cost and duration will be decided after the report is out.  

At this point, Sharma said, it is not clear if the building needs to be knocked down and rebuilt or just restoration job will do.

Ram Chandra Dangal, the chief of Singha Durbar Reconstruction Project, said the earthquakes have caused severe damage to the front facade of the building which may need to be demolished and rebuilt.

The back of the building is comparatively intact, he said adding that it could take at least a year to complete the project. According to a statement issued by the PMO, the next meeting will sit on Saturday to finalise the plan.