Shashi Dhungel

Kathmandu, July 20:

The government has not yet compensated Rs 46.3 million it owes to Guthi Sansthan for acquisition of 19.5 ropanis land at Naxal eight years ago. The Home Ministry acquired the

land in 1997 to construct a ‘People’s Movement Memorial Park’ in the memory 1990’s people’s movement to restore democracy in the country.

The then government had approved the decision of the home ministry to acquire land from the Guthi Sansthan, which at present costs more than Rs 110 million.

Interestingly, the government has neither paid the mentioned sum to the Sansthan nor has initiated the construction of the prak, which has kept such a high-value property unused.

“The Guthi Sansthan had asked the Home Ministry time and again to either clear the dues or give it back the land,” Deepak Bahadur Pandey, the chief officer at the Sansthan, told this daily, adding: “The ministry sent a letter to the Sansthan about five months ago, stating that it cannot make any decision on the matter.”

A high official at the Home Ministry stated the ministry has been unable to pay the amount to the Sansthan as the Finance Ministry has not released funds for the purpose. “Since the home ministry has not been able to pay the amount to the Sansthan, the work of the park could not begin,” the official said.

“The land at Naxal is only an example. There are thousands of such acquisitions in which the Guthi Sansthan has not received any compensation,” Pandey said.

“In a bid to ameliorate the deteriorating financial condition, the Sansthan has started introducing annual programmes since the fiscal year 2003-2004. But implementation of such programmes is very miserable, at times, below one per cent. This inability of the organisation to implement annual programmes has further hampered the organisation’s performance,” Pandey added.

“The amount of money collected as offerings to temples amounts to millions, but the Sansthan, the body responsible for conducting day-to-day activities at the temples and maintaining religious places, never gets the money,” the Sansthan’s chief officer said.