Kathmandu, April 18
Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Rabindra Prasad Adhikari, has spoken of the need of preparing a master plan within six months for constructing the infrastructures within the Pashupati area so that the area becomes alluring.
Addressing a programme organized at Pashupati on the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of the Pashupati Area Development Trust today, the Culture and Tourism Minister suggested formulating the programme for developing Pashupati area into an attractive place of religious tourism.
Minister Adhikari, who is also the chairman of the PADT Board of Directors, said that the religious place should not be turned into a commercial place.
On the occasion, he directed the PADT office-bearers to start doing homework for planting 5,000 species of plants with religious significance such as rudrakshya, camphor, and others.
“The heart and motive of those working in the Pashupati should be pious. The coming fiscal year is being declared as the Heritage Reconstruction Year and the Ministry is preparing to bring programme aiming to complete the reconstruction of 80 percent of the heritages damaged by the April 2015 earthquake within the fiscal year 2018/2019,” Minister Adhikari said, adding that the remaining 20 percent of the heritages would be reconstructed in the fiscal year 2019/2020.
He said the reconstruction of the heritages in the Pashupati area should be carried out in without changing their original architectural style and urged the PADT to run a university for the study of oriental philosophy and culture.
PADT Member-secretary Dr. Pradip Dhakal said preparations have been made for works on reforms including infrastructure construction in the Pashupati area in order to developing it into a place of attraction for the followers of the Vedic sanatana religion the world over.
The former treasurer of the PADT Taranath Subedi suggested the Trust officials maintain transparency in their works as people would lose faith in the religious institutions if probity in their works and activities were not respected.
Executive Director of PADT Ramesh Kumar Upreti stressed on the need of amending the Act to make it in tune with the contemporary changes.
