In an effort to get its importance recognized, the Department of Mines and Geology has been making efforts to get it listed as a national heritage.
The government has been spending a huge amount of money annually since the last five years to conserve the palace.Recently, it emerged that those involved in the conservation effort were indulging in financial irregularities.
The money spent on conservation has not made any noticeable difference in the past five years, according to locals.
"The government allocates a large budget every year but we have no idea where the money is spent," said Laxmi Paneru, a local social worker. "If they were spending money rightly, we should have seen good results. We don't see any noticeable changes," she said, adding, "That means financial irregularities are definitely involved."
Local authorities have received more than 30 million rupees since the last five years for conservation. With the palace showing no visible signs of improvements, locals suspect extensive corruption involved in the project.
Ajayameru Palace was built by King Nagi Malla. During his regime, he used it as his summer palace. He also had another palace in Doti district. He had built many structures in those places. Today, Ajayameru Palace is now on the verge of collapse.
"All conservation works are assigned to contractors and Consumers Committee. However, they are only taking payments and doing nothing," said Jaya Bahadur Ayer, chairman of Ajaymeru Congress. According to him, whatever little the contractors are doing is only ruining the structure.
"Contractors have been shifting stones from the structure, which is destroying their unique built," he added.
According to Ancient Monument Preservation Act 1956, contractors should not destroy and recreate any monuments. Although the contractors are violating the rules, authorities have not taken any action against them. As per the act, a fine from Rs 25,000 to 1,00,000 can be charged for violating the act.
Locals have no knowledge about how much amount is being allocated each year for the conservation, said Shiva Raj Joshi, chief district officer (CDO) of the district. "It has come to my knowledge that the public are being kept in dark about the budget received from government for conservation," said CDO Joshi. "Also, none of their works on conservation is visible," he added.
Locals have repeatedly complained about lack of conservation efforts despite large budgets since the last five years. The only visible work is the 5 to 10 meters of fence erected around the monument.
Besides direct fund from the government, local bodies such as Village Development Committees and District Development Committee have also been allocating budgets for the conservation of Ajayameru Palace. Although contractors are supposed to keep records of money spent, they have not been doing so.
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