Dharahara draws crowd of visitors

Kathmandu, Dec. 8: Two Buddhist monks were watching their mobile phones sitting in the shadow of the 82-metre tall newly rebuilt Dharahara on Friday afternoon. They were probably waiting for their turn to climb the tower. One gentleman was inquiring about the ticket counter with a gateman at the north gate across the tower while a group of youth were busy taking photographs of Dharahara on the overhead bridge. Others were roaming on the pavement just outside the Dharahara premises.

Of course, an increasing number of people are now visiting the Sundhara area to climb the 22-storey Dharahara. The white tower standing at the heart of the capital is now crowded after it was recently opened to the public.

Earlier, on the occasion of the Constitution Day on September 19, the government had officially opened Dharahara to the public, nine years after the 2015 earthquake destroyed the previous Dharahara. The government had made arrangements to allow the people to climb the new Dharahara free of cost at that time. However due to rainfall at the end of September, the festivals of Dashain and Tihar and some problems with the lift system, only a small number of people climbed it then.

When people were free, the crowd to climb it increased. However, the government introduced a provision for the entry fee to climb it, effective from November 24. Surprisingly, the crowd swelled further after the government decided to charge entry fees.

Prakash Aryal, Project Director of the Central Project Implementation Unit under the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, said that from 600 to 1,700 people have been visiting the new Dharahara daily to climb it and enjoy the panoramic view of the valley and mountains from its balcony.

Visitors can ascend to the top of the tower using a lift or stairs, he said. According to Aryal, a fee of Rs. 50 has been fixed for entering the Dharahara premises. It has fixed a fee of Rs. 200 per person for Nepali citizens willing to climb the tower. But those who buy a ticket to climb the tower do not have to pay the entry fee of Rs. 50.

Similarly, a fee of Rs. 500 per person has been fixed for the citizens of SAARC countries, and Rs. 1,000 for foreigners beyond the SAARC countries.

Likewise, a 50 per cent discount has been provided to disabled, students and senior citizens. Persons with disabilities holding red and blue cards, journalists, employees in office uniforms and security personnel are allowed to climb it free of charge.

More than Rs. 1.9 million in revenue has been collected after its opening on November 24.

"A total of 10,900 people have climbed the new Dharahara as of December 3. The data of children aged below 12 years has not been included in it," Aryal said, adding, "Arrangements have been made for visitors to climb the tower from 10.30 am to 3.15 pm," he added.

At present, free parking has been arranged only for two-wheelers in a single basement parking of the triple basement parking, he said. The balcony which can accommodate 150 persons at a time.

The Dharahara project spreads over an area of 42.2 ropanis of land. There is a garden, a resting space, a water fountain and a rooftop garden. The complex encompasses a four-story museum, souvenir shops and other structures. The triple basement parking can accommodate 400 four- wheelers and 700 motorcycles.

The construction of the new Dharahara started on September 30, 2018, after a meeting of the Council of Ministers decided to hand over the construction contract to the then National Reconstruction Authority on November 13, 2017. GIETC-Raman JV Company won the tender bid to reconstruct Dharahara.

Around 98 per cent physical works of the Dharahara project have been completed so far.

A discussion is underway with the concerned authority to extend the deadline and complete the remaining works, said Deepak Singh, Dharahara Project Manager of GIETC-Raman JV Company.

Infrastructure constructed on the Dharahara premises is child, senior citizen and disabled-friendly, he added.