Dharahara, the newly reconstructed tower in Sundhara, Kathmandu, will open to the public starting tomorrow, Thursday.
The decision to open Dharahara on an interim basis from September 19 was made by the Cabinet meeting on September 12. The government, through the Ministry of Urban Development, instructed the Central Project Implementation Unit (Building and Housing) to allow public access to the tower as part of the Constitution Day celebrations.
The project plans to allow around 500 visitors to climb Dharahara daily, according to project head Kosh Nath Adhikari. Arrangements are being made to purchase tickets online via a dedicated website, which will be announced once it is ready.
“We initially planned to create an app for ticket bookings, but that was not possible,” Adhikari said. “Now, we will enable ticket bookings for 100 people every half hour through the designated website, starting from 11 am.”
For tomorrow, if online booking is not possible, tickets will be made available on-site at the Dharahara premises, according to Adhikari.
Until further notice, entry to Dharahara will be free of charge, and parking within the premises will also be free.
Visitors can use two electric elevators to reach the top and descend. They will be allowed to spend approximately 10 minutes in the tower’s balcony area. Photography and video recording will also be permitted, Adhikari mentioned.
Although the Ministry of Urban Development is working on procedures for the operation and management of Dharahara, the decision to open it was made by the Cabinet, resulting in some lack of preparation.
Before the 2015 earthquake, the federal government had entrusted the operation and management of Dharahara to the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, which had contracted it out to a private company. After the new tower was built, the Kathmandu Metropolitan City requested to take charge again, but the federal government appeared reluctant to hand over responsibility to the city. The Cabinet meeting on September 12 nullified all previous decisions regarding Dharahara’s operation.
The newly built Dharahara has 22 internal floors, although, from the outside, it still resembles the original 11-story structure. The remains of the old Dharahara, which was destroyed in the 2015 earthquake, have been preserved for public viewing.
A three-story underground parking facility has been constructed beneath the tower. There are also plans to build an administrative building, museum, and garden.
So far, 95 per cent of Dharahara’s construction has been completed. Despite the work being incomplete, then-Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli inaugurated the tower on April 24, 2021.
Even after the inauguration, construction continued, and the tower was not opened to the public. Following his return as Prime Minister, Oli made arrangements for Dharahara to be accessible to the public, despite the remaining work.
