President Bhandari lays foundation stone for OAG building

KATHMANDU, Dec 4: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has laid the foundation stone for a new building of the Office of Auditor General amidst a ceremony in Anamnagar on Monday. The office had got its old building damaged in the 2015 April earthquake, and the office has been operating from a building in Babarmahar ever since. The new building is going to be constructed at the same place.

The construction of a seven-storey well-equipped building with two floors underground on seven ropani of land is expected to be completed by the next three years.

The estimated cost of the structure is Rs 543 million. The Department of Urban Development and Building Construction will monitor the construction works and incentive has been announced for the contractors if the construction gets competed before the deadline.

Nepali original architectural style will be adopted for the project. Besides, the building will be disabled-friendly and earthquake resilient, the office said.

On the occasion, President Bhandari suggested that the Office of Auditor General must pay its attention to making it responsible, and maintaining its discipline, and transparency.

Stressing the need for addressing the problem of budget freeze, and ending increasing arrears, she urged the office to implement the set criteria.

All should focus on making economic transactions by those organizations receiving government subsidy, and non-government organizations effective, and updated.

Likewise on the occasion, Auditor General Tanka Mani Sharma Dangal said the arrears of public sectors have reached Rs 4 billion so far. RSS