Businessmen, travel agencies and media organizations have been in trouble after most of the expenses incurred during the 2569th Buddha Jayanti celebrations last year.

Lumbini Hotel Association President Leelamani Sharma said that businessmen and entrepreneurs are preparing to go to court for justice after more than a year of not receiving the money.

About 4.6 million rupees have not been paid due to mutual disputes, personality clashes and lack of coordination among the officials of the Lumbini Development Fund. Not only has the money not been paid, but since various businessmen have not been given the responsibility to pay the money in the last fiscal year, another problem has been added, said Chairman Sharma.

‘There is no mention anywhere in the fund account that the payment is due,’ said an officer of the fund. ‘However, in practice, the problem has become complicated when the payment is due.’ There is no legal basis for giving it. That is why the problem has become more serious as there is no option to go to court to resolve the issue, said Suramma Hotel operator Khim Shrestha. Another interesting aspect is that the then official had returned Rs 4.4 million of the federal government's disbursement to the fund for celebrating Buddha Jayanti, saying that the amount was not yet due. Last year, the government had released Rs 10 million to the fund to celebrate Buddha Jayanti on Baisakh 29.

Three travel agencies in Bhairahawa, Tilottama and Lumbini have yet to pay Rs 551,647 for 102 air tickets. Similarly, 12 hotels in Lumbini have yet to pay Rs 2.430,686. Lumbini Hokke Hotel has the highest amount of Rs 901,000 and Hotel Kasai has the highest amount of Rs 379,899. Similarly, Rs. 1 million 92 thousand is yet to be paid for cars, Hiace, Scorpio and school buses used in Buddha Jayanti. Similarly, Rs. 1 lakh 11 thousand 870 is yet to be paid for Kathmandu-Lumbini-Kathmandu bus fare. Similarly, Rs. 2 lakh is yet to be paid to the National Television Broadcasters Association Lumbini Province and Rs. 2 lakh to the media organizations of Rupandehi, Kapilvastu and West Nawalparasi. Naresh KC, the outgoing president of the National Television Broadcasters Association Lumbini Province, said that even though the bill including VAT was issued more than a year ago, the payment has not been received. He said that it is unfortunate that the media organizations have not received payment due to problems within the fund. He said that now they are also forced to go through legal proceedings to recover the amount.

Let alone getting the bill paid, the businessmen are in trouble after paying the value-added tax from their own pockets for more than a year, said Prakash Bhattarai, director of Angel Holy Day Travel and Tour in Lumbini. ‘Businessmen do business by mobilizing money,’ he said, ‘you cannot do business by incurring losses and selling your house.’ He said that businessmen should not be victims of the internal problems of the Lumbini Development Fund.

Last year, Member-Secretary Sanuraja Shakya and Accounts Officer Naval Yadav were given the authority to cut checks. Shakya retired after completing a five-year term on Asoj 21, 2082. After that, Yadav was also removed from the position of Accounts Officer. The officer said that Yadav had paid all the bills that had been submitted to him. ‘The bills submitted as per the regulations of the government’s Public Procurement Act have been paid,’ he said, ‘How can I pay the bills that I have not received?’