By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Aug. 12; Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has been making preparation to get Tilaurakot, in Kapilvastu district, the capital of ancient shakya kingdom, into the list of World Heritage Sites (WHS) nomination.
Last year, the ministry allocated budget to Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) to prepare initial report of Tilaurakot. An interaction programme on the initial report was held recently in Lumbini to discuss the draft report prepared by LDT.
The ministry has accorded high priority to the nomination. In the programme, in addition to the representatives of Department of Archeology (DoA) and LPD, the representatives from all the concerned bodies took part, said Dr. Suresh Surash Shrestha, DoA information officer.
“The chief district officer, the ministers of provisional and federal governments, the mayor, the ward chair, the locals and the representative from DoA and LDT participated in the programme to voice their view on the initial draft report,” he said.
The report states that the local government should play a crucial role in the nomination process, along with other responsible bodies. In addition, it also provides further guidelines on how to move the nomination process ahead, he added.
The listing is a very long process. It has taken many years to complete several processes. If the process moves through fast track, it will take a minimum of 5 years inside the nation to prepare all the documents as per the UNESCO-mandated design. The representatives of local and federal governments have given assurance that the listing process will move on through fast track as the ministry has given it a high priority, said Shrestha.
The interaction programme has identified the role, duty and work division of each sector. The participated experts suggested continuing excavation process of the site, he added.
Of the four UNESCO-listed WHS in Nepal, two are in the cultural category and another two in the natural category. Listed under cultural category are the seven monuments of the Kathmandu Valley along with the Lumbini- the birthplace of Lord Buddha.