Kathmandu, December 22
The Kathmandu metropolitan city has announced a new programme in which it will provide a grant of Rs 800,000-Rs 3.2 million for an owner of the house in its jurisdiction if the house is constructed in a ‘heritage-friendly’ way.
The city government says it has already allocated a budget for this programme from this fiscal year. However, no one has applied for a grant so far, according to its spokesperson Ishwar Man Dangol.
Previously, some other local governments including the Bhaktapur municipality had also launched such programmes.
According to the Heritage Building Preservation and Construction Criteria and Subsidy Operating Procedure issued by the Kathmandu city government, there are four types of grants available for the applicants.
The details are given below:
| SN | Category | Criteria | Grant |
| 1 | A | Malla-era or Rana-era buildings preserved or retrofitted (outside the recognised heritage sites or old settlements) | Up to Rs 3.2 million at the rate of Rs 4,000/square feet |
| 2 | B | New houses built in old styles and with old materials when they cannot be preserved | Rs 1.6 million (if the house is outside recognised heritage sites) Rs 2 million (if the house is inside recognised heritage sites) |
| 3 | C | New modern-style houses changing façades into an old style | Rs 1.2 million (if the house is outside recognised heritage sites or old settlements) Rs 1.4 million (if the house is in old settlements) Rs 1.6 million (if the house is inside recognised heritage sites) |
| 4 | D | New houses with old-style façades | Rs 800,000 (if the house is outside recognised heritage sites or old settlements) Rs 1 million (if the house is in old settlements) Rs 1.2 million (if the house is inside recognised heritage sites) |
