This was disclosed in the Indian parliament recently. Responding to queries in the Lok Sabha (lower house), Minister of State at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Preneet Kaur said that while the government of India has not received any proposal from the government of Nepal or the Lumbini Development National Directive Committee (LDNDC) for the renovation of Lumbini, a specific request has been received from the Lumbini Development Trust, headed by the minister of culture in the Nepal government, “for assistance in the construction of the U Thant auditorium in Lumbini.” [break]
Minister Kaur was responding to a query from Member of Parliament Manicka Tagore on May 8 as to whether the government of India has received any request from the government of Nepal or from the LDNDC, seeking India´s cooperation or assistance for completing the ambitious project.
Furthermore, responding to another question from MP Tagore, on what action has been taken by the Government of India in this regard, Kaur said, “Government of India has proposed a MoU to the government of Nepal on the construction of the auditorium.”
While confirming the development, officials at Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) in Nepal said preparations are underway to sign an MoU between Nepal and India. “This was the proposal made by us to India during Visit Lumbini Year. We are currently in the process of signing a formal agreement following an approval from the Indian government,” said Gyanin Rai, chief of the liaison office of LDT in Kathmandu.
It will cost an estimated Rs 260 million to construct the auditorium to be named U Thant World Peace Center and with a total seating capacity of 420 as well as a number of smaller conference rooms within the same building. “The Indian embassy has already written to the Finance Ministry for tax waiver and other formalities. We are in touch with the embassy about signing the MoU to this effect,” Rai further said.
After Dahal´s recently concluded India visit, there has been curiosity amongst India policy-framers on the possibility of an Indian role in the development of Lumbini, a sensitive issue in New Delhi.
Although there is no clarity on possibility in the near future of trilateral cooperation between China, Nepal and India in the development of Lumbini, security analysts in Delhi feel that “India should be cautious in this regard.”
“India can go in for trilateral cooperation in Lumbini only after there is clarity from the Nepali side on the framework and proposal,” a security analyst in Delhi who did not want to be named told Republica. He added, “Political stability in Nepal too is a pre-condition for such an engagement.”
They also feel that funding sources and the technicalities of the trilateral cooperation are important aspects to be evaluated beforehand.
India´s Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid had termed trilateral cooperation “too early” before Chairman Dahal´s India visit. And while Prachanda spoke about the Lumbini development project during his meetings in New Delhi, the Indian side made no commitment in this regard.
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