The temple´s compound wall has developed cracks and may crumble at any time if proper conservation measures are not taken right away. [break]
Two months ago, a taskforce formed by Kaski District Administration Office had recommended placing up to 25,000 concrete blocks of 30-cubic centimeter size at the base of the temple to prevent it from sinking.
With the conservation committee at Tal Barahi short of budget for conservation work, it had forwarded a file to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, in collaboration with the local administration, demanding a sufficient budget. But with the ministry yet to caugh up the budget, conservation work at the temple has failed to gather momentum.
Meanwhile, the ministry has said that it has no information about the budget request and it also lacks budgetary resources at the moment.
The temple management committee is anxious about the ministry´s indifferent response.
The task force coordinated by Ram Prasad Aryal, chief engineer at the Regional Irrigation Division Office, Syangja, had submitted a report estimating the cost of putting in concrete blocs to save the temple at Rs 13.1 million.
The district administration had turned to the ministry for the budget help one month ago after failing to tap internal resources.
Kaski Chief District Officer Anatar Bahadur Silwal informed that the temple management committee had only Rs 5 million.
Tourism entrepreneurs in Pokhara are also found to be indifferent about the renovation of the temple, which the government is trying to get included in the world heritage list.
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