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The reconstruction of Dharahara, which was completely destroyed in the 2015 earthquake, remains unfinished. The government awarded the reconstruction contract on 13 Sept 2018, but more than seven years later the project is still incomplete. According to the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DUDBC), physical progress has reached about 90 percent. The museum being built on the former Tax Department site, however, has been completed.

Despite this slow progress, the then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli inaugurated the partially built Dharahara amid much fanfare in April 2018, when only 42 percent of the work had been completed. At that time, the government promoted the narrative that the tower had been rebuilt in just three years. Yet more than four years after that inauguration, construction is still not finished.

The reconstruction contract is held by GIETC-Raman JV, with the Chinese company GIETC supervising and Nepali contractor Raman Construction executing the work. The contractor has indicated it will miss even the eighth deadline, and has already applied for a ninth extension.

Jhapar Singh Bishwakarma, acting project director at the DUDBC’s Central Project Implementation Unit, said the tower is now in its final stage of construction. He added that the government is preparing to extend the deadline one last time, with a target completion date in April.

The original contract required completion by 30 Sept 2020. The deadline was later extended for the fifth time to October 2023. If approved, the upcoming ninth extension will push the deadline to April 2025. Although each extension has been granted in six-month increments, it remains uncertain whether even this revised target will be met.

According to DUDBC data, the government’s initial cost estimate for the Dharahara reconstruction exceeded Rs 4.4bn. The revised estimate, including VAT, rose to more than Rs 4.71bn. The initial contract amount was set at over Rs 3.48bn, later revised to above Rs 3.53bn, of which around Rs 3.10bn has already been paid.

Although Dharahara is the centerpiece, the project encompasses multiple structures. The site today feels visually appealing but busy with construction. A new temple stands at the entrance, surrounded by a landscaped garden. A three-level parking facility has been built, with capacity for 2,000 two-wheelers and 300 four-wheelers; one level currently operates as a free parking zone.

Inside the gate, the new Dharahara rises clean and bright, while the remnants of the old collapsed tower sit nearby. The area, however, still feels somewhat disorganized, with several structures unfinished. The government has also built a Mint Museum on the grounds of the former Mint Department, though its finishing work is pending. Lighting, illumination, and decorative works across the site are also incomplete, leaving visitors confused about access and layout.

Bishwakarma of DUDBC said several shortcomings emerged during the contract awarding process, contributing to delays. Additional time was required as the project expanded to include the reconstruction and conservation of Sundhara, an adjoining heritage site. Heritage engineers have repeatedly protested, arguing that restoring Sundhara Pond to its original form is not technically feasible. Local opposition has also stalled progress. “Not much construction work is left,” Bishwakarma said. “Electrical installations, lighting, and some finishing tasks remain, and these should not take long.”

Another factor contributing to delays was land acquisition. The old Dharahara occupied a relatively small footprint, but the new design covers a larger area. Land had to be taken from the Employees Provident Fund, the General Post Office, and Nepal Telecom. Completing the necessary transfers took considerable time. The COVID-19 pandemic further disrupted progress. Nevertheless, the project team now aims to finish all remaining work by April and hand over the completed site to the government.

The weather today will remain partly cloudy in the hilly and mountainous region of Koshi Province and mainly fair in the rest of the country.

Later, tonight the weather will continue to remain mainly fair throughout the country, says the 8 am bulletin by the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.

Furthermore, the meteorological analysis by the Department states that at present, there is no significant weather system affecting the country.

The International Mountain Day (IMD) is being celebrated today with a variety of programs across the world and in Nepal too. 

The day is observed annually on December 11 as per the calls of the United Nations to raise awareness about mountain importance, development challenges, and opportunities. 

This year the day is being commemorated under the theme "Glaciers matter for water, food, and livelihoods in mountains and beyond."

The day also highlights issues like climate change impacts on glaciers, water security, and sustainable livelihoods in mountainous regions. Various events, webinars, photo contests, social media campaigns and local restoration projects are being carried out under the event. 

It may be noted that the United Nations General Assembly had proclaimed 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation to raise awareness on the vital role glaciers, snow and ice play in the climate system and water cycle, as well as the far-reaching impacts of rapid glacial melt. 

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, (FAO), a UN agency, glaciers and ice sheets hold around 70 percent of the world's freshwater. 

Their accelerated melting represents not only an environmental crisis, but a humanitarian one, threatening agriculture, clean energy, water security and billions of peoples’ lives. Their retreat, driven by rising global temperatures, is a stark indicator of the climate crisis. Melting glaciers and thawing permafrost increase risks such as floods, glacier lake outburst floods, landslides or enhanced erosion and sediment, endangering downstream populations and critical infrastructure. 

Economically, sectors like agriculture, hydropower, mountain tourism and transportation feel the strain of glacier changes. For many Indigenous Peoples, glaciers are sacred, and their disappearance signifies a loss of identity and connection to nature.

International Mountain Day has been celebrated since the UN's 1992 Agenda 21 recognizing mountain ecosystems, leading to 2002 being declared the International Year of Mountains (IMD). 

This spurred the UN General Assembly to establish IMD in 2003 to raise awareness about mountains' crucial role (water, biodiversity, livelihoods) and the threats they face (climate change).

A total of 7,344 different types of violence against women (VAW) cases were reported to the National Women's Commission in the past six years. 

The complaints were made from various parts of the country to the toll-free helpline established by the Commission. 

Of the registered cases in the last six years, 88 percent were reports of domestic violence against women. According to Commission Secretary Rekha Kandel, the age group of women who were reported to have been subjected to violence is between 26 and 40 years.

The data of the past six years of reports received to the Commission's helpline 1145 also states that women with low literacy rates are more likely to be subjected to violence.

This information was shared during an event held on Wednesday to mark the eighth establishment day of the 'National Women's Commission, 1145 Free Helpline Service'.

In the last fiscal year, the Commission stated that 1,202 complaints of violence against women were registered in connection with domestic violence and deprivation of women's rights.

Commission Chairperson Kamala Kumari Parajuli expressed her commitment to work actively in the field of women's rights in the coming days as in the past.