KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 4

The Kathmandu Valley Monastery Tamu Service Committee has urged the Kathmandu Metropolitan City not to dismantle the monastery at Devinagar of the KMC-10.

Although the High Court, Patan had issued a verdict asking the local government not to pull down the Buddhist until a further verdict, it has given an ultimatum to remove the monastery citing that it has been built on public land.

Issuing a statement today, the committee has urged the preservation of the monasteries, the centre of faith of the Buddhist followers. 'The Kathmandu Valley Monastery Tamu Service Committee has been operating after registering with the Buddhist Philosophy Promotion and Monastery Development Committee (BPPMDC) under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation on 4 June, 2009 with the aim of providing knowledge, delivering sermons by priests and experts from the Gurung community, who have faith in the Buddhist religion,' read the statement.

The respective ward office approved the construction of the monastery, and provided monetary assistances for the project, it has been said.

Monetary assistances for the project were collected from hundreds of Buddhist followers, and the ministry and various organisations including the Tourism Minister, the, Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, the District Coordination Committee, Kathmandu, the BPPMDC and the Parliamentary Development Fund.

The Committee's 'serious' attention has been drawn to the public notice issued by the metropolis to dismantle the monastery ignoring religion, culture and the society as a whole.