- Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC) is planning to relocate office of Gorkhapatra Sansthan, publisher of the over a century-old state-run newspaper Gorkhapatra, and its sister publication The Rising Nepal.
- The government is planning to establish a media museum at its current place, showing long history of country's mass media.
- Gorkhapatra daily is running in the 116th year now and which is being published from Bhugolpark since its inception.
- The ministry plans to demolish the old building and expand the Bhugolpark area.
- Consultation with the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) office is ongoing.
“Nepali mass media has a long history,” Secretary at the Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC) Dinesh Thapalia told Republica. “So we want to set up a media museum at the site of the Gorkhapatra offices.”
Gorkhapatra daily, which is running in the 116th year now, is being published from Bhugolpark since its inception. Editorial, printing and other departments of the daily are at the same place. The MoIC however did not say where will the Gorkhapatra Corporation be shifted to.
“There are two buildings of Gorkhapatra. One was damaged by the earthquake last year. We don't have space to construct new building there. So, we decided to shift the corporation elsewhere in Kathmandu and use the site for the museum,” Thapalia added.
The ministry plans to demolish the old building and expand the Bhugolpark area. According to him, Bhugolpark, which currently is spread across 8000 square feet, will have another 6,500 square feet. It will make an attractive and spacious park in the heart of Kathmandu.
“We are in consultation with the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) office seeking space for relocating the corporation,” Thapalia said.
“We are planning to submit to this effect to the cabinet within a few days,” he further said. According to Joint-Secretary of MoIC Suresh Adhikari the ministry is preparing documents to request the Ministry of Finance for funds needed for the purpose.