Kathmandu, February 24:

Following the unexpected turn out of devotees at Pashupatinath Temple on Maha Shivaratri, the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) is preparing to assess the performance of the volunteering organisations during the function.

Premananda Shakya, member secretary of the PADT, said the four-member panel, formed to monitor the contribution of various volunteering organisations, was dissatisfied with the performance of many of the organisations. “We will recommend for exclusion of such organisations from volunteering task from next year,” he said, adding, “Many of them misused

their passes and their stalls were empty.”

He said the budget of Rs 900,000 was insufficient to cater to the unexpected flow of about one and a half times more devotees compared to the last year. “A large number of people thronged this time as the Shivaratri fell on a Monday after 40 years,” he said. He claimed that the use and sale of illegal drugs like hashish and marijuana were effectively controlled on the temple premises, but people were found to have openly using the contraband at other places.