The PADT has recently allocated Rs 69 million for the project, clearly hinting that the construction of the electronic crematorium will not be stalled.The PADT officials, however, said they are mindful of the risk of Pashupatinath Temple being removed from the UNESCO´s World Heritage Sites list. [break]
Earlier, the UNESCO had expressed concerns over the construction of electronic crematorium saying that a 100-feet chimney atop the building that houses crematorium will have an "adverse visual impact" around the Pashupatinath Temple area.
Nearly two months after the UNESCO conveyed its concerns to the government, the PADT allocated about one fourth of the grant of Rs 250 million provided by the government for building the electronic crematorium. On September 19, the PADT board, headed by Culture Minister Ram Kumar Shrestha, decided to release the second biggest chunk of the government´s grant for the crematorium.
The biggest chunk of the grant has been allocated for acquiring land from the local people to develop the Pashupatinath Temple area in tune with a master plan, which was approved by the government years ago.
"The last installment of budget is more or less sufficient to complete the project," says Shyam Shekhar Jha, senior director at the PADT. Jha, who is overseeing the technical aspects of the construction of electronic crematorium, says, "If everything unfolds as planned, the crematorium will come into operation by early next year." Jha, however, maintained that completion of the project would also depend on several external factors, including timely delivery by contractors of equipments to be fitted inside the crematorium.
Govinda Tondon, member secretary of the PADT, said UNESCO´s concerns will not affect the construction of the crematorium.
"The UNESCO is mainly concerned about how the Pashupatinath Temple would appear when people look at it through the plumes of smoke coming from the crematorium´s chimney," says Tondon. "We will address these concerns. But, the project, which has already been delayed by many years, will not be put on hold any further."
Tondon said they are exploring all available alternatives to complete electronic crematorium without upsetting the UNESCO. "We are confident we will convince the UNESCO," he said. "The electronic crematorium must be constructed to effectively deal with problems of rising pollution caused by the use of woods to cremate dead bodies."
According to Jha, they have now decided to install the chimney behind the crematorium building so that people can get a clear view of the temple from the ring road. "We have now modified the design in a way that one third of chimney is easily hidden by the crematorium building," says Jha. "It will lessen the adverse visual impact to a great extent."
Apart from that, to enhance the visual appeal, the PADT plans to paint the chimney green and plant trees around the crematorium. "We will make sure that the view of the Pashupatinath Temple, when looked at from the ring road, does not look blurred," he said. "We are also considering whether the smoke from the chimney can be diverted to other direction."
Bodies being cremated at Pashupati Aryaghat on the bank of the Bagmati River. (Republica)
Meanwhile, the UNESO has yet to express its view on the modification of the design of electronic crematorium.
"Dozens of dead bodies are cremated at the Pashupati Aryaghat every day," says Tondon. "It has caused the air pollution to rise. Only an electronic crematorium could end such situation."
Crematorium will have two furnaces with an option for building a third one in future. A dead body can be electronically burnt within about one hour.
More money for land acquisition
In an attempt to speed up development works in the Pashupatinath Temple complex, the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) has decided to allocate more money for acquiring lands this year.
The government has already allocated Rs 560 million for land acquisition from around 100 locals, creating more open space in the Tilganga area. In addition, the PADT has decided to allocate Rs 100 million more for land acquisition.
"The budget provided by the government is not sufficient to buy around 43 ropanis of land," said Govinda Tondon, member secretary of the PADT. "So, we set aside more money."
To acquire lands from the local people, the PADT has already published public notices in newspapers. The PADT officials say land acquisition is imperative to effective implementation of a master plan designed for overall development of Nepal´s most important Hindu shrine.
Even in the past, the PADT has acquired lands from the local people in three phases in Tilganga, Bankali and the area west of the Pashupatinath Temple. The master plan envisages developing the Pashupatinath Temple complex into a green, spacious and crowd-free area.
The Pashupatinath complex, parts of which are believed to have been built in the fifth century, was enlisted as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1979.
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