Barjukot View Tower left in limbo

By Sher Bahadur Sarki,Bajura, Oct. 3: The Barjukot View Tower, located in Budhiganga Municipality-4, Bajura, once envisioned as a key attraction for domestic and international tourists, has been left in limbo.

Construction of the project initiated to enhance tourism and improve the economic status of locals has been halted for five years. 

Ramchandra Giri, a local from Budhiganga Municipality, expressed his disappointment over the delay in completing the project.

“Restoring the original Barjukot Palace would have been far more beneficial than constructing this tower,” he remarked. “It would have attracted both the younger and older generations while preserving our history.”

The unfinished tower, now an eyesore, has instead turned into a hotspot for illegal activities like drug abuse among the youth.

Giri observed that teenagers often visit the site to drink alcohol and smoke, turning it into a hub for misconduct. “Had the tower been completed, it could have fulfilled its intended purpose, but now it is useless,” he added.

The construction of the Barjukot View Tower has been stalled for nearly five years, with no one showing interest in completing it and bringing it into operation. 

However, Narendra Nath, the chief administrative officer of Budhiganga Municipality, informed that the tower falls under the forest and tourism development programme and is maintained by the Division ForestOffice.

The construction of the View Tower in Barjukot was initiated in the fiscal year 2020/21 with financial support from the Ministry of Tourism Development under the provincial government.

Dammar Rawat, Secretary of the Tower Construction Consumer Committee, stated that for the construction of the view tower in the historically and archaeologically significant Arjukot Durbar (palace) area, Rs. 3.5 million was allocated in the fiscal year 2020/21 and Rs.5 million in  2021/22.

He noted, “The Tower Construction Consumer Committee has completed 75 per cent of the work, having received Rs. 400,000 in the first year and Rs. 3 million in the second year.”

The construction of the tower has come to a halt due to insufficient budget, he said adding that the locals vandalised the tower after its construction work was halted. 

There is currently no budget allocated for its maintenance and protection. The project requires 75 per cent of the investment from locals.

It would have been more beneficial to reconstruct the old palace, which was destroyed by the then Maoists during the conflict, than erecting the view tower at Barjukot, local said.

This would have facilitated the establishment of a museum and better preserved the area’s historical significance.

Locals expressed concerns that the increasing state of disrepair surrounding the View Tower has led to a rise in crime,s making the area unsafe for pedestrians. 

They lamented that the agency responsible for maintaining the tower has become inactive, exacerbating the problem and instilling fear in the community.

The Division Forest Office in Bajura has reported that the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority is currently investigating allegations of corruption related to the project that commenced in the fiscal year 2020/21. 

Bhojraj Pathak, Head of the Division Forest Office in Bajura, informed that following reports of the failure of all projects initiated during that period, their financial bonds have now been suspended.

 He explained that after the authority reviewed the documentation and found that the plans were incomplete, the bonds for all these projects were halted to prevent further financial mismanagement.