KATHMANDU, Oct 19: Tourism Minister Badri Prasad Pandey has expressed dissatisfaction with the officials of the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) for not coordinating with the Ministry of Tourism regarding the issue of Pashupati Dharmashala. According to the PADT, the minister has also requested the resignation of the officials of the PADT.
Minister Pandey has called a meeting of the PADT’s board of directors for Sunday. According to the law, the Minister himself is the chairperson of the board. The dispute surrounding the Gaushala Dharmashala has led to growing tension between the Tourism Minister and the PADT's officials. The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) is also involved in this matter, as the PADT officials have sought assistance from the KMC to vacate the Gaushala Dharmashala.
A dispute has arisen between the KMC and the Marwadi Sewa Samiti regarding the eviction of the Gaushala. The City Police visited the Dharmashala on October 9 and October 16 to remove the Marwadi community from the Gaushala.
After intervention by the Nepal Police, the City Police have withdrawn. The police's involvement has prevented the KMC from vacating the Gaushala. The Tourism Ministry has already instructed the PADT to halt operations at the Gaushala. According to an official from the PADT, Minister Pandey has demanded the resignation of nine members, including the PADT's member secretary Dr Milan Thapa, treasurer Narayan Prasad Subedi, and executive director Subash Joshi.
"He has indicated that he is considering dismissing the officials and members if they do not resign. He has stated that if they do not resign, he will proceed to dismiss them," said an official.
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According to those officials, the minister cannot directly dismiss them according to the law. There is a legal provision to seek clarification first. PADT members Raj Khatri, Renuka Parajuli, Shishir Parajuli, Hari Nath Khanal, Babu Sharan Subedi, Ram Sharan Sangat, and Dr BP Baral were appointed to the PADT during the tenure of former Tourism Minister Sudhan Kirati.
The legal provision states that the board committee of the PADT will consist of 17 members. This includes seven members, a member secretary, a treasurer, and an executive director, all of whom will be appointed by the tourism minister.
Minister Pandey has also sent a letter to the PADT to suspend its work on the Dharamshala. In a letter sent to the PADT on October 16, the Ministry of Tourism stated that there have been issues affecting the peace and security of the sacred area of Pashupatinath, and therefore, all activities conducted there should be suspended until a decision is made in the next meeting of the council.
In a previous meeting of the council, a decision was made to coordinate with the KMC to vacate the Dharamshala.
The government granted permission to the Marwadi Sewa Samiti to build a Dharamshala on a 10 ropani plot of land at Gaushala Chowk near the Pashupati Temple in 1981. At that time, the Marwari committee agreed to pay only Rs 25 per ropani as rent.
Currently, the Marwadi Sewa Samiti is paying just Rs 51,000 annually as rent for the land they are using. The officials of the PADT want to terminate the agreement made with the Marwadi Sewa Samiti on this matter. The Marwadi Sewa Samiti, on the other hand, claim that through the Gaushala Dharamshala, they have been providing social services, including delivering 29 liters of milk daily to the Pashupati Temple, offering free corpse transportation services, free storage for corpses in refrigerators, free artificial limb services, and providing pure vegetarian meals and accommodation.
There has been a long-standing dispute between the Marwadi Sewa Samiti and the PADT regarding the use of the 10 ropanis of land. The PADT announced the termination of the agreement with the Marwadi Sewa Samiti on August 2, 2023. In response to that decision, the Marwadi Sewa Samiti filed a lawsuit in the Kathmandu District Court on August 9, 2023.
On October 2, 2024, the court ruled in favor of the PADT. Following this, the PADT informed the Marwadi Sewa Samiti on October 6, 2024, that their contract agreement had been terminated. Subsequently, the KMC became involved in this matter. The PADT's officials requested the KMC to provide security and coordination to vacate the Dharamshala, which led to the KMC's involvement in this dispute.
"We have requested the KMC to vacate the premises in accordance with the Local Government Act," said an official from the PADT. However, the Marwadi Sewa Samiti has expressed that they do not wish to vacate the Dharamshala. Officials from the Marwadi Sewa Samiti claim that they have a right of occupancy on the land of the Dharamshala. However, the PADT asserts that the Marwadi Sewa Samiti do not have such rights.
Another official from the PADT said, "It does not seem that the Minister of Tourism wants the Marwadis to be removed from the Pashupati Dharamshala. The Marwadis do not wish to leave. This is the main dispute. We are trying to have them removed."
