By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, June 30: Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) said it needed Rs. 7 billion to complete the remaining work of the Lumbini Master Plan (LMP).
Remaining 15 per cent to 17 per cent construction work of the plan is expected to be completed in two years.
The government has allocated Rs. 1.50 billion for the master plan and Greater Lumbini Development Master Plan (GLDMP) for the fiscal year 2020/21.
The budget will provide much-needed support to start the new works, but to complete the remaining ones Rs. 7 billion is required, said Sanuraja Shakya, member secretary of the LDT.
“We are working with the aim of completing all the ongoing projects by mid-July. After that, we will begin working on the remaining part targeting to complete it within two years,” he said.
A new tender bid will be announced in mid-July for the new project from the allocated budget, he added.
He, further, said a Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the GLDMP was being prepared and that it would take around a year to complete it.
In 1978, Japanese Professor and architect Kenzo Tange had prepared the Lumbini Master Plan to ensure systematic development of the Buddha’s birthplace, one of the holiest sites for Buddhists across the globe.
The construction works of the holy zone, international Bihara area, central canal, link road, museum and research centre have been completed while all the remaining ones would be completed within three years, he said.
The Master Plan area is spread across the area of three square kilometres, which is divided into three sectors-sacred garden, monastery zone and new Lumbini village.
There are 20 major components under the three divided sections, he said.