Nepal's Anti-Corruption Protests Cause $586 Million Economic Loss and Require $252 Million for Reconstruction

An official committee has estimated that rebuilding Nepal after recent protests would exceed $252 million.

Kathmandu:

According to a government statement released on Friday, the anti-corruption demonstrations in September that led to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's resignation resulted in over $586 million in damages to Nepal's $42 billion economy.

The youth-driven protests and subsequent unrest claimed 77 lives and left more than 2,000 people injured three months ago.

Protesters destroyed significant public and private infrastructure by setting fire to facilities including the extensive Singha Durbar office complex, the Prime Minister's office, the Supreme Court, Parliament House, politicians' private residences, and business complexes owned by associates of certain politicians.

A statement from interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki's office indicated that an official assessment committee estimated reconstruction costs would surpass $252 million. Karki, who formerly served as chief justice, took over following Oli's resignation.

The temporary government has established an official reconstruction fund to gather resources but has collected less than $1 million so far from public donations and institutional contributions, according to authorities.

Officials have not disclosed plans for addressing the significant funding gap needed for reconstruction efforts.

Chakrabarti Kantha, a senior engineer at the Ministry of Urban Development responsible for public infrastructure rebuilding, confirmed that reconstruction has already begun on the Singha Durbar complex, presidential residence, Supreme Court, and key ministry buildings.

Repairs on partially damaged structures have been completed, allowing those buildings to resume operations.

"Construction work on completely destroyed buildings will commence once the required detailed reports and designs are finalized," Kantha told Reuters, without providing specific timelines.

The interim government has scheduled new parliamentary elections for March 5, 2026.