Tourism Merger Plan: Locals seek Unesco help

Agitating locals of Hanumandhoka have handed over a memorandum to Axel Plathe, the head of the Unesco Nepal, appealing for attention concerning an agreement reached by the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) with a private body to merge the tourist fees of the Hanumandhoka Durbar Square and the Dharahara.

The 10-point memorandum argues that the agreement should not be materialised as it is not fair to give equal status to the Hanumandhoka Durbar Square—a world heritage site identified by the Unesco—and the Dharahara, a nine-storey view tower constructed by Nepal’s first Prime Minister Bhimsen Thapa.

“Moreover, authorities can’t make it obligatory for tourists visiting the Dharahara to go to the Hanumandhoka Durbar Square, and vice versa,” the memorandum reads, stating that the one-door ticketing system would rather irritate tourists. “The world heritage site of Hanumandhoka should not be handed over to a profit-oriented private company.”

Stating that the hike in existing tourist fees would discourage the tourists from visiting the heritage site, as the authorities have yet to build basic infrastructure including an adequate number of toilets in the area, the locals also called on Plathe to take necessary steps to press the KMC and concerned stakeholders to dismiss the agreement.

The agreement, which was slated to be implemented from May 1, has been halted due to a public furore. Several meetings of the locals with the KMC have been unyielding.

source: the kathmandu post,19 may 2013