By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Apr. 11: Sundhara hiti (folden water spout) and the remains of old Dharahara are still awaiting for preservation though the other main structures of the Dharahara project are at completion stage.
Around 91 per cent work on the Dharahara project has been completed so far, according to the construction company.
National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) was established with the main objective of rapid reconstruction of the physical damages caused by the massive earthquakes of April 25 and May 12, 2015 and their aftershocks.
But, NRA’s term expired on December 24, 2021 without doing anything for Sundhara and the remains of Dharahara. The new Dharahara tower was inaugurated by then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on April 24, 2021, on the eve of the sixth memorial day of the Gorkha earthquake without completing the works.
However, the construction works on the project have not been completed even almost three years later.
NRA failed to take any step to preserve the spout and remains of old Dharahara, rather it focussed on building other business structures of new Dharahara during their term.
Central Level Project Implementation Unit (CLPIU) of the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, Ministry of Urban Development, has been handing all the responsibility of NRA after the expiry of its term. But, CLPIU also focussed on completing other business structures rather than preserving the main heritage structures - Sundhara and old remains of Dharahara.
Saubhagya Pradhananga, chief of Department of Archaeology (DoA), said that the department wanted to take initiative itself to work on both Sundhara and old remains of Dharahara projects because they are glory and pride of the nation.
DoA, however, states it does not have sufficient budget to work on both sites and CLPIU has been handing the responsibility of new Dharahara project. If CLPIU handed over the preservation task of both heritage structures with budget, the DoA would work from the beginning stage, she said.
The construction company had already damaged the major water channel while digging a huge trench behind Sundhara spout. The negligence of the construction company, a rich model of Newa art and culture, was damaged in the name of reconstruction. It has also made mistakes in the remains of old Dharahara, she said.
NRA officials always told The Rising Nepal that renovation process of Sundhara and preservation of old Dharahara would start at the end of the project after completing other structures.
However, the NRA had committed with the local stokeholds that preservation work of Sundhara and remains of old Dharahara would be given first priority.
But, NRA and CLPIU both did not work as per the desire of locals, said Ganapati Lal Shrestha, a local campaigner.
Kosh Nath Adhikari, Project Director of CLPIU, said that several times discussions were held with the locals about Sundhara preservation and they were asked to find out possible source of water to bring water back to the spout and search the outlet channel.
But, locals demanded in every discussion to revive the old water source and outlet channel of Sundhara which is not possible in the present condition, he said.
In the case of preservation of remains of old Dharahara, Project Manager Adhikari said that the preservation of the remains of old Dharahara would start after Department of Archaeology approved the design works.
Sundhara is one of the cases to show how development of structures causes damage to important heritages. Sudhara wears a desolate look after its water source was destroyed during the construction of Kathmandu Mall building in 2005.
Sundhara was built by Shah Queen Lalit Tripura Sundari in 1828 and is one of only two existing golden water spouts in the Kathmandu Valley.
Bhimsen Thapa, the first Prime Minister of modern Nepal, had built Dharahara tower in 1832. The 9-storey structure had 213 steps in its spiral staircase to the top and a balcony on the seventh storey. The Dharahara is also known as Bhimsen Stambha.
