PADT falls prey to nasty politics
Already crippled by ill treatment and low maintenance, the Pashupatinath Temple has now fallen prey to a ruthless war between the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) and the Ministry of Culture (MoC).
Driven by past the trend to appoint PADT office bearers directly under the supervision of the ministry, new Minister Khagendra Prasain, who is by default the chairman of the PADT, has been demanding immediate resignation of the current PADT member secretary Sushil Nahata. The idea is to appoint Prasain’s “own man” to the post.
However, Nahata, who was appointed during the tenure of former culture minister Minendra Rijal of the Nepali Congress (NC), has refused to quit.
Himself an aspiring NC leader, who even filed his candidacy in the NC’s general convention last year, Nahata has been refusing to budge until his four-year tenure is over. Nahata has even threatened to file a case against the minister if he forced him to resign. Last month, Prasain wrote a letter to Nahata seeking clarifications on issues of management and corruption in the PADT.
“The minister has been demanding the resignation on the ground that he should have the right to appoint his men at the PADT,” MoC secretary Mod Raj Dotel said.
The minister had sought clarification on the “embezzlement of Rs 0.9 million while building a bridge near Shankaracharya temple during Shivaratri festival last year”. “We have also learnt that the letter raises serious questions about Nahata’s efficiency as PADT’s member secretary,” a high level PADT official told the Post, requesting anonymity.
However, according to Nahata, there is no reason he should step down. “I don’t care what used to happen in the past,” he said. “I am only concerned about the betterment of the temple. I won’t quit until my tenure is over.”
“As all of them were more of party cadres than the ones that the PADT actually needs, the office bearers, after the abolition of monarchy, would resign each time their government quit,” the PADT official said. “Even Nahata had been appointed after the Maoist-appointed Parmananda Shakya resigned. Nahata’s reluctance to leave the office this time has literally shocked all PADT staff.” According to former PADT member secretary Ram Prasad Dahal, there was no political interference in the PADT before the abolition of the monarchy as the former queen used to be the chair of the institution. “The appointment used to take place with a Cabinet decision and no culture minister could influence it,” he said. “The tussle will do nothing but create problems in the management of the Pashupatinath Temple.”
Gate opens
The eastern gate of Pashupatinath Temple that was closed two years ago was opened on July 17 after renovation work was over. The gate
had been shut due to its dilapidated condition. According to Sushil Nahata, member secretary of the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT), the door was opened on the beginning of the holy month of Shrawan. Nahata said the renovation was completed at a cost of around Rs 2.1 million. “We are happy that the eastern gate, which facilitates easy and direct access to the holy river of Bagmati has reopened,” said Kalyan Chaudhury, a devotee at the temple.
Posted on: 2011-07-26 09:07
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