Kalpana Harijan, acting mayor of Lumbini Cultural Municipality, has complained that the government and the Lumbini Development Fund have not been able to reach beyond the four walls of the investment fund.
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Stakeholders have drawn the government's attention to the need to develop Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, as a spiritual tourism center.
In a discussion on 'Lumbini: Investment and Tourism Potential' under the 'Third Lumbini News Festival' held in Lumbini on Sunday, he pointed out that it is ironic that even though Lumbini's master plan defines this place as a sacred garden (garden), it has not been developed accordingly.
Kantipur Television's Deputy News Chief Rupesh Shrestha pointed out that there should be a tourist-friendly policy, product and behavior for the development of Lumbini's tourism. Shrestha said that investment in tourism should be made by businessmen, not the government, and that the government should create an environment and policy facilitation for tourism development. Shrestha suggested that the state and private sector should make a special plan to make Lumbini's gardens a center of meditation for Buddhists from all over the world.
The main idea of the sacred garden mentioned in the master plan is to make Lumbini a spiritual tourism center, not just other tourism, said Lumbini's leading hotelier Leelamani Sharma. He said that the government should make a special plan and policy to make Lumbini a center of attraction for one billion Buddhists from all over the world. "Spiritual tourism is the strength of Lumbini," Sharma said. "If the entire Lumbini can be developed as a sacred garden according to the master plan, Lumbini and the Mayadevi Temple can become the center of faith for one billion Buddhists around the world." Kalpana Harijan, acting chief of Lumbini Cultural Municipality, complained that the government and the Lumbini Development Fund's attention and investment have not been able to go beyond the four walls of the fund. Pointing out that the state's investment is only in the excavation of archaeological sites, she urged the federal and provincial governments to prioritize Lumbini's tourism development. She said that the process of bringing in foreign investment to build a birthing hospital in Lumbini has been progressing. Harijan said that it has become easier for foreign investment to come in now that the sustainable waste management process has progressed. She also said that the municipality has built a meditation center and established a tourism information center with its own budget. Gyanin Rai, senior director of Lumbini Development Fund, said that the government has invested only in the excavation of archaeological sites. He said that the World Heritage Site of Lumbini should be developed as a center of Buddhist education, peace and coexistence. Rai urged that the Lumbini Development Fund should not forget the fact that it cannot invest and work indiscriminately beyond the directives of the United Nations and the plans and budgets of the Government of Nepal. This session was facilitated by the outgoing president of the club, Naresh KC. Earlier, the News Festival had discussed the topics of 'Cross-Border Relations: Needs and Opportunities' and 'Questions in Journalism: Responsibility and Accountability'.
