The
Himalayan Times
20 July
2017
Don’t
waste time
What
a funny news item it was to read about the brawling going on between Department
of Archaeology (DoA) and Nepal Telecom (NT) regarding the new Dharahara design
“NT, DOA split on Dharahara design (THT, July 18, Page 1). Is not it a matter
of jokes after coming to know that these two organizations- one government and
the other semi government-have been sticking to their own stances on
reconstruction of Dharahara. In fact, the previous government had authorized NT
to reconstruct Dharahara. It has designed accordingly. Now, DoA seems to be
worried about the archaeological value of Dharahara of being lost if NT is
allowed to move ahead as per its design. This ongoing tussle has put the Deuba
led government in a fix.
Why
did the previous government authorize NT for the reconstruction of Dharahara
without consulting DoA? It is a historical site which demands a proper design
keeping its archaeological value. It has been now almost two years plus since
the killer earthquake shook the country. Instead of rapidly commencing the
reconstruction process, these two organizations continue to fight for their own
sake. Albeit, NT has asked DoA to add additional structures and is ready to
bear the costs of around Nrs 3.67 billion, DoA does not seem to budge an inch
from its official stance which seems logical since it is the custodian of the
archaeological sites of the country.
Looking
at this ongoing tussle between the government organizations over the
reconstruction process, there could arise other problems related to other
historical and archaeological sites in the days to come. The government has now
to step in and make a decision so that the reconstruction process of Dharahara
and other archaeological sites will begin soon without wasting any more time.
Rai Biren Bangdel
Maharajgunj
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