Among the view towers built simultaneously in 11 districts of the province by the Bagmati Provincial Government, the structure built in Suli Thumka has fallen into a dilapidated and neglected state within a few years of its construction due to lack of maintenance.
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Statues are erected in public places to show respect for individuals who have contributed to society, politics, and history and to connect the new generation with history. Structures like view towers, parks, and waiting rooms have also been constructed in the name of development and tourism promotion. However, in recent years, such public structures have been vandalized in Khandadevi Rural Municipality of Ramechhap, making conservation a challenge.
The view tower built in Khandadevi Rural Municipality-5, Goganpani Suli Thumka, is the latest example of this. This structure, considered one of the view towers built simultaneously in 11 districts of the province by the Bagmati Province government, has fallen into a dilapidated and neglected state within a few years of its construction due to lack of conservation.
The project, for which a construction agreement was signed in 2077 BS, cost Rs. 32 million 60 thousand 851. Along with the view tower, a footpath, toilet, waiting room, ticket house, and office building have also been constructed. But due to the lack of a clear plan for operation, the structures built with crores of rupees are now unused.
When entering the View Tower premises, scenes of vandalism are clearly visible. The windows and doors of the ticket house have been broken. The toilet taps, basins and doors have also been uprooted. The structures of the office building have also been damaged. The tower itself is not safe. The windows and doors have been broken and the roof has come off and water is leaking. Due to lack of timely maintenance and conservation, the structures are gradually turning into ruins.
According to Manoj Poudel, Ward Chairman of Khandadevi Rural Municipality-5, the problem has become more complicated as the structures have not been handed over to the local government for operation after construction. He said, 'The Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Environment of the Bagmati Province Government has started the construction. But so far, neither the construction has been completely completed nor has it been handed over.' Conservation has become a challenge as the ministry or construction company does not give responsibility to the local government. According to Poudel, there has been an increasing anarchic behavior on public property in recent times. He recalled the incident where a statue of public leader Madan Bhandari, which was built in Salleni Forest in Pakarbas, Khandadevi Rural Municipality-5, was vandalized a few years ago. The statue, which was built with the help of the Bagmati Province government, rural municipality, ward office and locals, was damaged within a few months of its installation. Later, after CCTV surveillance was started, the incidents of vandalism stopped, said Poudel.
Even after the construction was completed, the Sulithumka View Tower, which was abandoned due to lack of conservation, was built at a cost of nearly five million rupees after adding two investments, said Gyan Kumar Shrestha, chairman of Khandadevi Rural Municipality. According to him, the rural municipality has not been able to take responsibility for conservation since the tower built by the provincial government was not handed over.
'The View Tower was built in two phases with an investment of about Rs 50 million,' said Municipality Chairman Shrestha, 'but due to lack of maintenance, it has now fallen into disrepair. Windows and doors have been broken, and even the toilet taps, basins and doors have been uprooted and damaged.' According to him, the structures of the office building built alongside the tower have also been damaged. The roof of the tower has come off and is leaking water, and electrical equipment has also been stolen.
Shrestha says that there is a problem in maintenance and management as the provincial government has not yet formally handed over the structure to the rural municipality. 'Despite the municipality taking responsibility and being ready to maintain it, the handover process has not been able to move forward,' he said. According to Shrestha, after repeated requests, the provincial government has become positive for the handover. He said that in a telephone conversation a few days ago, it was agreed to hand over the dilapidated and vandalized structures to the rural municipality after repairing them.
'Now, even if it has to bear the burden of maintenance, the rural municipality will take responsibility for protection,' he said. He said that the rural municipality is also preparing to expand the surveillance system as the security challenges of public property are increasing. He said that currently, about 100 CCTV cameras are being installed throughout the rural municipality. Municipal Chairman Shrestha also said that there is a plan to install 100 more cameras in sensitive areas including the Sulithumka View Tower.
