E-Kantipur

KATHMANDU, JUN 23 -

The government’s plan to shift the Nepal Army (NA) cavalry and the ‘Band Gulm’ (Army band) from Singha Durbar to the Narayanhiti Palace Museum has museum management committee officials worried.

Officials at the museum say that with the cavalry and Gulm shifting to the museum set up after the abolition of the monarchy, the area will lose its beauty.

A highly-placed source at the museum management committee said the Army is also planning to demolish a semi-model building of the maintenance department where goods and machines worth millions of rupees required for the renovation and maintenance of the museum have been stored.

Also, plans are afoot to convert the place where skins and skeletons of wild animals hunted by different Shah Kings are kept, and king Trubhuvan’s farm yard into Army training grounds after the cavalry plan is successful.

“While the Army plans to set up the cavalry in the historical place, the museum committee is planning to display the former royal cavalry (where horses were bred artificially), and traditional dresses and accessories of the ancient royal band gulms preserved from the period of king Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah,” the source said.

The late king Birendra’s residence is around 50 metres away from the place planned for the cavalry.

“All preparations are over to display all the belongings of late king Birendra. But the cavalry, if brought here, will generate enough dirt and foul smell to diminish its importance,” the officer said, requesting anonymity. The government plan to shift the cavalry comes after the Supreme Court (SC) in April 2008 issued a mandamus order to remove the cavalry from its current location. The court said the stench of horses emanating in the stables affected the health of people living and working nearby. Responding to a Public Interest Litigation filed by Advocate Prakash Mani Sharma, the SC had ordered the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Defence and Nepal Army to remove the horses from the Singha Durbar premises.

The Cabinet on May 16, 2010, decided to shift the cavalry and the band in 30 ropanis of land inside the museum compound “without affecting the infrastructure inside.”

According to museum officials, the compound has 300 ropanis of vacant land, which could be used by the NA without damaging the museum infrastructure.

Army Spokesperson Ramindra Chhetri said the NA is simply following government instructions.

Chhetri said museum officials must take their concerns to the government and the Army if they feel the cavalry will damage the infrastructure.

Posted on: 2011-06-23 08:42

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