DHANKUTA, AUGUST 18

The idea of constructing view towers in the name of development seems to have become popular in Dhankuta in recent years and a number of such towers are in the process of being constructed or have been proposed.

Though the hills in the district are picturesque in themselves, the trend of erecting tall towers on hilltops in the name of development has picked up with different levels of government competing to build such towers in the district.

Harka Bahadur Rai of Dhankuta Municipality said valuable resources were being squandered in unproductive areas.

'If invested in local industries and agriculture sector, the investment would create employment and increase productively thereby improving people's life, but seeing how money is being spent to erect towers makes me feel sad,' Rai said.

On his part, Dhankuta Municipality Mayor Chintan Tamang said they are planning to add more attractions saying view towers alone aren't enough to draw tourists.

'As view towers only haven't brought enough tourists, we are planning to add more attractions, such as artistic gates, roads, temples, steps and the likes,' he said.

While there are view towers built in places such as Chaubise Rural Municipality and Sangurigadhi Rural Municipality, such towers are being planned or are under construction at other places such as Shahidbhumi Rural Municipality, Pakhribas Municipality, Mahalaxmi Municipality, and Dhankuta Municipality.

While some of these towers are being constructed jointly by all three levels of government, others are being developed by the local government alone, yet others with the joint investment of two levels of governments.

'The local, provincial and central government is pouring millions of rupees into the construction of view towers in the name of development, but apparently such investment in unproductive sector isn't paying off,' said Narendra Rai, a local of Shahidbhumi Rural Municipality.

A version of this article appears in the print on August 19 2021, of The Himalayan Times.