By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Nov. 12: The fourth master plan of Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) is at its final stage of development.
The master plan will get the final shape after technicians of the PADT and National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) submit their report. It will take one and a half months to collect the technical suggestions.
The report will suggest the land use now and in the future, said Dr. Pradeep Dhakal, member-secretary of the PADT.
The fourth master plan will fully come into operation once the technical team submits its report with estimates of the total budget, he said. The master plan is being prepared for the overall development of the Pashupati area for 100 years to come, Dhakal said.
According to the proposed master plan, the Pashupati area is defined by the socio-religious significance, archaeological significance, physical state, topography, present land use, future land use and limits on execution.
The Pashupati area has been broken up in three components- core area, consonant area and continuum area.
The third master plan had concluded in 2008/9 fiscal year. It took around a decade to formulate the fourth master plan.

The proposed master plan will give the first priority to manage the crowd of devotees and line system.
The devotees are forced to stand braving rains, in chilly winds of winter and hot sunny days of summer to reach the Pashupatinath temple to offer worship. There is a plan to build roof to provide some relief to the devotees from rain and sun when they stand in the queues.
The consonant area of Pashupatinath Temple will be widened to accommodate 100,000 devotees at once and the boundary wall of Pashupati area will be decorated with artistic work.
These were the major components of the master plan, he said, adding that they were waiting for the technical report.