KATHMANDU: The blackened walls of the fire-damaged Birendra International Convention Centre (BICC) still stand as a reminder of the destruction caused during the Gen-Z protests, with authorities yet to determine whether the historic building can be restored or will require reconstruction.
Located in New Baneshwor, the BICC had long served as Nepal’s federal parliament building, hosting parliamentary meetings since May 28, 2008.
The convention centre became one of the main targets during the Gen-Z protests held on September 8 and 9, 2025, leaving the structure heavily damaged after parts of the building were set ablaze.
Constructed in 1993 with Chinese government assistance, the facility was originally built to address the lack of a large-capacity hall for major state functions and gatherings in Kathmandu.
The building has also witnessed several historic moments in Nepal’s political transition, including proceedings of the Constituent Assembly elected in 2008 and the declaration of Republic Day following the end of the decade-long Maoist insurgency.
Officials say preliminary repair works have begun on sections that could be immediately restored, while detailed studies of the building’s internal structure are still underway.
“We have already repaired the walls that could be immediately restored, but studies on the internal structure are still ongoing,” said Abhinas Srivastav, an engineer at the Reconstruction, Restoration and Retrofitting Division under the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction.
According to him, laboratory testing has so far been conducted on three structural layers of up to six sections of the building.
“This is a 30-year-old structure, and damage has been found in most areas. Only after structural modelling analysis can we decide whether the building should be retrofitted or rebuilt,” he said.
He added that financial assessment of the damage would only begin after the technical analysis is completed.
Until the eve of the protests, parliamentary meetings were still being held at the BICC, for which the government had been paying an annual rent of Rs 150 million.
The building had already been considered structurally weak following the 2015 earthquake, prompting discussions on reconstruction. A Chinese technical team had also conducted studies for possible redevelopment.
However, authorities had planned to begin reconstruction only after the completion of the new parliament building inside Singha Durbar. The government had already decided to use the BICC only until last October before the protest-related arson further damaged the structure.
Chief Accounts Controller of the Federal Parliament Secretariat Bhojraj Poudel said a file had been forwarded to clear the remaining rent payment up to September 8.
“We have to pay the rent to the Ministry of Urban Development itself since the building belongs to the government. If the government decides otherwise, payment may not be necessary immediately,” he said.
According to Poudel, the parliament secretariat had an agreement to pay Rs 150 million annually in two installments every six months. Of that amount, the Investment Board Nepal and the Law Commission, which also occupied office space inside the complex, contributed around Rs 10 million to the secretariat.
Parliamentary meetings are currently being conducted from a temporary hall inside the under-construction parliament building at Singha Durbar.
Considered a symbol of Nepal-China friendship, the BICC featured a modern main hall with a seating capacity of 1,046 people, along with meeting rooms, classrooms, office spaces, guest reception halls and press facilities equipped with advanced sound and lighting systems.
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