Lumbini Master Plan sees 3% progress in 5 years

By Laxman Paudel,Bhairahawa May 24: The Lumbini Master Plan, one of the national pride projects of the government, has not been completed even 46 years after the government announced its construction. 

The Lumbini Development Trust, five years ago, said that 82 per cent of works of the Master Plan were completed. After five years, LDT said that only 85 per cent progress was made in the Master Plan. 

Only 3 per cent of progress was made in the last three years. LDT in its report made public while marking the 2563rd Buddha Jayanti five years ago said 82 per cent progress was made in the Master Plan and this year while marking the 2568th Buddha Jayanti on Thursday, it said the progress reached 85 per cent. 

The officials of LDT were more disappointed when the budget was cut this fiscal year.  Two years ago, it was said that other construction works under the master plan were completed except for the construction of six buildings, garbage management and river diversion. As most of the projects are multi-year projects, they are under construction phase. 

The LDT said that two tanks, one with the capacity to hold 11 million liters of underground water and another with a capacity to hold  three million liters of water have been constructed to distribute drinking water in the area of 25 kilometres. 

Kenzo Tange, a Japanese professor, started preparing the Lumbini Master Plan in 1972 and completed it in 1978. There was a goal to complete the project in 15 years and hand over to the government. 

When the third Secretary-General of the United Nations, U Thant, visited Lumbini on April 13, 1967, he found the condition of Lumbini very poor and proposed the government to develop Lumbini by preparing a master plan.  

Then it was estimated that 55 million US dollars would be required to complete the master plan.  But the present cost has not been estimated. 

The master plan covers 1,155 bighas of land and it is divided into three sections. There was a plan to build a garden in one of the sections, international monasteries in another and a Lumbini village in the third section.  

Vice-Chairman Dr. Lharkyal Lama (Khenpo Chimed) said that the government did not allocate sufficient budget so that works of Lumbini Master Plan failed to make the desired progress. 

The Master Plan may not complete for many years if the current pace of work continues. He said that the government was reluctant to the development of Lumbini and there was no environment to work by collecting resources. 

Lama said, “The government does not show interest to manage budget to celebrate the Buddha Jayanti ceremony which delivers a positive message of Lumbini across the world.” 

Sanuraja Shakaya, Member Secretary of LDT, said that more than Rs. 5 billion had been spent so far. In the current situation, more than Rs. 3 billion is needed to complete the master plan.

Chief Administrative Officer Gyanin Rai claimed that the master plan would be completed in a year if the government provided required budget.