Holy shrine of Pashupati stained in illicit activities

Bishnu Prasad Aryal
Kathmandu, March 6

The holy shrine of Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT), place of sanity, spirituality and humanism, has been notoriously stained in indecent, illegal and criminal activities, even by the sages

According to the PADT, some sages sheltering illegally in Ram Mandir at Pashupatinath are also reported to be involved in weapons and narcotics smuggling. There are about five dozens of sages and sadhus hailing from Nepal and India have been living in Ram Mandir. “We are scrutinising the matter in cooperation with the Department of Crime Investigation that informed us about the arms and drug smuggling by the sages,” said Sushil Nahata, member secretary at the PADT.

Sources at PADT, which is enlisted in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, informed that those who would be found guilty would be expelled from the area. The guilty will be taken legal actions if proved through investigation, according to the Metropolitan Police Range at Gaushala.

Nahata said that PADT was planning to systemise the shrine in a decent and proper manner against all kinds of malaises. “About 300 shops are illegally stalled inside the area while lands of shrine are encroached, and sand from Bagmati bank inside area is illegally traded,” he said. “One who wants to work fairly is threatened and forced not to take action against the unauthorised practices.”

PADT set to install CCTV cameras by Sunday

KATHMANDU: In a bid to check suspicious activities in the area, PADT is all set to install CCTV cameras by Sunday. “We will fix at least two CC Televisions by Sunday,” said Nahata. “One camera will be installed at the Office of Secretariat and another at the main gate of Pashupatinath Temple,” he added. “The cameras will be gradually installed in different locations of the area where necessary.” Nahata, who was issued death threats three times, has lodged a complaint with District Administration Office and the police seeking security. Nahata was threatened over his mobile phone using public telephone booth and grocery from Teku area.

The PADT, which is spread at the area of 283 hectors of land including settlements, aims at expelling sages involved in arms and drugs smuggling, evicting illegally settled street vendors, evacuating land encroachers from the area, checking illegal trade of sand and concrete and  banning alcohol and meat business in the area.

Narottam Baidya, treasurer at the PADT, also said the illegal and criminal activities are taking place at the shrine though they are strictly banned. “Even sale and consumption of alcohol and animal flesh are prohibited in the area, they are openly traded,” he worried.

However, the attempts to quell illegal and criminal activities in the past could not be successful owing to lack of effective governance and willpower of political parties.

The crimes in the society are alarmingly increasing making commoners’ life vulnerable, said Shiva Sharan Rajbhandari, local and storekeeper at the Pashupatinath temple. “It will be hard to subjugate indecent and illegal activities unless the efficiency and performance of the government and police are professionalised,” he said.