BHARATPUR, Aug 11: Construction work at the Gautam Buddha International Cricket Stadium in Bharatpur has achieved 30 percent physical progress, according to Bharatpur Metropolitan City Division Engineer Santosh Acharya. The stadium is being built with joint investment from the federal, provincial and local governments, with physical progress reaching 30 percent as of August 10, 2025.
“The construction company was required to reach 40 percent progress by the end of June,” Acharya said, “So far, progress stands at 30 percent, but we will complete it on time.” Himalayan–Kalinchok–BBR Joint Venture signed the construction contract on July 7, 2024 for Rs 785,091,000, with a completion deadline of January 6, 2027. Acharya said 70 percent of the work will be completed within the next 17 months.
After one year of the contract, only the first-floor slab of VIP Tower 1 has been completed, while the first floor of the second tower remains unfinished. For the parapets, the slab of the first parapet is complete, while only the first block of the second parapet has been concreted. Steel reinforcement is currently being installed in two additional blocks. Work to place covers on the drainage system remains incomplete.
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So far, only about half of the planned work has been completed. Although construction of the playing field was planned to begin within a year, no progress has been made in that area. Due to delays, the federal government’s Rs 60 million allocation has been returned, Acharya said, adding that since the budget from Bagmati Province and Bharatpur Metropolitan City is internal, it will not be frozen. He said construction work has gained momentum. “Work has not stopped. It is happening continuously,” he said, “We will complete it within the target.”
To accelerate the project, former Prime Minister and CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has also urged the contractor to speed up the work. On Saturday, during his visit to the under-construction stadium, he made the request in the presence of representatives from the Himalayan–Kalinchok–BBR Joint Venture. According to Acharya, Chairman Dahal also assured necessary support to complete the work on time.
In the first phase, the federal government allocated Rs 250 million, Bagmati Province allocated Rs 100 million and Bharatpur Metropolitan City allocated Rs 40 million for construction. The federal government has included the Gautam Buddha International Cricket Stadium as a “national pride project.” As per the financial partnership, Bagmati Province will bear 70 percent of the cost and Bharatpur Metropolitan City will bear 30 percent.
Within the construction period, a 15,000-seat parapet, two three-story VIP towers and a playing field are to be built. The stadium project was announced on January 30, 2019 at the National Assembly Hall in Kathmandu with the then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, current Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, and then Nepali Congress General Secretary Shashanka Koirala among other top officials present.
However, progress did not go as planned. The Dhurmus Suntali Foundation, in coordination with Bharatpur Metropolitan City, had pledged to complete construction within two years, but after the COVID-19 pandemic and citing financial shortages, the foundation withdrew. The metropolitan city later took over the project, citing various legal complications. The foundation had incurred a Rs 120 million loan during construction and requested the government to settle it, but the government stated repayment was not possible without completing legal procedures.
At the time of handover, the foundation had completed 286 pillars for the parapet and a 5,000-seat parapet structure. It reported spending Rs 540 million on the project. Initially, the plan was for a 30,000-seat stadium, but the city later decided to scale it down to 15,000 seats for the first phase. Bharatpur Metropolitan City has set a target to host the ICC Under-19 Women’s Cricket World Cup 2027 at the Gautam Buddha Cricket Stadium.
