Kathmandu, May 21
The Department of Archeology has said that the reconstruction of 770 heritage sites damaged by the 2015 earthquake has been completed. A total of 920 heritage sites were damaged in the 14 highly affected and 18 affected districts.
Another 70 sites are currently being reconstructed while the work on 80 sites is yet to begin, said the spokesperson of the department, Ram Bahadur Kunwar. The reconstruction of 80 sites could not be started due to a lack of sufficient budget, lack of technical human resources and construction materials.
Yakseshwar of Bhaktapur, Pujari Math of Bhaktapur, Sattal of Changunarayan Temple, Vishnu Temple of Hanumandhoka, Degu Taleju Temple of Patan Durbar square are currently being reconstructed. The work on the Jagatnarayan Temple in Shankhamul has been stopped due to a court case.
Spokesman Kunwar said that about 20 of the heritage sites that are yet to be reconstructed are in the process of budget management, with the target of beginning the work in the new financial year. The department targets to complete the reconstruction of 920 heritage sites in 32 districts by the year 2082-83.
So far, the government has spent Rs 6 billion for the reconstruction of heritage sites, and another three billion rupees will be required to complete the remaining reconstruction work.
