Repair work on the Potala Palace and Norbulingka, the former winter and summer palaces of the Dalai Lamas, resumed on Wednesday after a suspension of four months due to cold weather.

Qamba Gesang, section chief of Potala Palace Administration, said time was tight as all repairing tasks except mural renovation inside Potala were supposed to be finished before Aug. 15 the day when the Tibet Autonomous Region was "founded" 40 years ago. Many activities planned to celebrate 40th anniversary will be held on the square of the Potala Palace or in Norbulingka, he said.

This year's repair work will cost 85 million yuan (about 10.24 million US dollars), 65 million yuan (some 7.83 million US dollars) of which will go to the Potala Palace, according to the official.

The maintenance project is part of a program kicked off on June 26, 2002 with a budget of 330 million yuan (40 million US dollars) from the central government to help keep the 1,300-year-old Potala Palace from being eroded by wind, rain and worms. Also scheduled for repairs are Norbulingka Park and the Sagya Lamasery which contains numerous religious relics.

Repair work on three sites was called off temporarily last November because of cold weather in the plateau region.

Repairs of Sagya Lamasery will not be resumed.

First built by the Tibetan King Songtsa Gambo in the 7th century during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the Potala Palace was extended during the 17th century by the Dalai Lama, who ruled Tibet from the 13-story building on the Red Hill 3,600 meters above sea level.

The Potala Palace features the essence of splendid ancient Tibetan architectural art and houses countless artifacts of ancient Tibet. The palace complex, together with the Jokhang Monastery and Norbulingka, was included on UNESCO's list of cultural heritage sites in 1994.