NEW DELHI, September 11. /TASS/. The mass riots in Nepal inflicted damage to state infrastructure estimated at over $1.4 billion, the Nepalese Ministry of Urban Development said.
"Most of these structures are beyond retrofitting; they cannot simply be repaired and reused like after an earthquake. Rebuilding them will cost upwards of Rs 200 billion," the Khabarhub portal quoted a ministry source as saying.
Serious damage was inflicted to landmark government sites, including the Singha Durbar complex housing the government and numerous ministries, as well as the Parliament building, and the Supreme Court. Alongside the loss of buildings, invaluable historical documents and records have also been reduced to ashes, the portal said.
Protests against corruption and a ban on social media escalated into riots in Kathmandu and other cities on Monday and Tuesday. The country's Prime Minister Sharma Oli resigned. Protesters set fire to government buildings, including parliament, the Supreme Court, the Prosecutor’s Office, and attacked the homes of politicians and officials. Riots also broke out on the Nepal-India border, and checkpoints were closed.
According to the Nepalese Health Ministry, at least 34 people were killed in the unrest, with over 1,300 wounded. A nationwide curfew has been imposed. The ban on social media was lifted on September 9. On the following day, the Nepalese army announced preparations for talks with the protestors aimed at ending the political crisis in the country.