Kathmandu, Sept. 4: The list of Nepal’s 100 touristic destinations recently unveiled by the government has failed to accommodate Basantapur Durbar Square, one of the three Durbar Squares of the Kathmandu Valley enlisted in the UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage Sites. 

The government of Nepal has specified 100 destinations for the promotion of tourism in the year of 2019-2021, which will be well equipped with the transportation, logistics and other basic fundamentals. 
During the budget speech of fiscal year 2075/76 B.S, the government has specified 100 touristic sites, of which seven sites were enlisted from the Kathmandu Valley alone. 
Pashupatinath, Swoyambhu, Bouddhanath, Narayanhiti, Chandragiri, Sundarijal and Budanilkantha were listed as existing touristic sites of Kathmandu district, while Dahachowk has been listed as a new destination which needed to be equipped with the infrastructural development. 
The list was finalised by a ministerial level decision on the basis of public demands and available information at the moment, said Ghanashyam Upadhaya, Spokesperson and Joint-Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Aviation. 
“Later, we realised that the list has failed to incorporate the Basantapur Durbar Square. There is no doubt that the site must be incorporated in the list,” said Upadhyay. 
The change in the list could be brought only through a ministerial level decision, said Upadhaya, adding that the list was prepared on the basis of the information provided by the concerned bodies and received applications following the public announcement. 
The list has incorporated four touristic sites from Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) said Ishwor Man Dangol, spokesperson of KMC, adding that it has failed to enlist the name of Basantapur Durbar Square. “It was a big mistake.”
Dangol said the KMC would draw the attention of the Tourism Minister about the issue and would pledge him to make an alteration in the list.
Tourists who visit Kathmandu could never understand the originality of the district without visiting the Basantapur Durbar Square, he added. 
“No visit in Kathmandu will be completed without visiting the Basantapur Durbar Square,” Nuchchhee Kaji Maharjan, coordinator of Heritage and Tourism Committee of KMC, said. 
He said Basantapur is the heart of Kathmandu city, which carried a lot of cultural and historical significance for the people of Nepal, said Maharjan, adding that the site is rich in culture and arts. 
One could get a chance to see the tangible and intangible heritage of the Kathmandu. So the site should be incorporated in the list, he added.