Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, January 30

The government employees and owners of the pavilion located at the World Heritage Site at Hanuman Durbar Square has once again invited new parties to lease the shops on the ground floor of the ancient ruins instead of renovating the monument.

Singha Sattal, the 700-year-old pavilion, believed to have been built along with the pavilion of Kasthamandap, in the 13th century, now belongs to Guthi Sans-than, a government-owned institution. But the Guthi has not renovated or even repaired the monument which is in ruins for the past six years. The only thing they have done is to cover it with a plastic sheet. The Guthi informed today that it was inviting new parties to lease the shops on its premises for the next five years. "We are calling fresh bids for leasing the shops very soon. The rent will certainly go up," said a Guthi official.

The locals complain that the government is only concerned about making money from the national heritage sites. It is not spending even a single penny for the conservation of these rare monuments. "It is a shame that the government wants to earn money by misusing the monuments," said Ratna Harshan Bajracharya, a local. The UNESCO has kept the monuments of the Valley in the endangered list.