KATHMANDU, July 3, 2013: Political muscle-flexing has hardly spared any entity in Nepal, not even the hallowed Pashupatinath Temple. 

Top posts at the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT), the main body to manage the centuries-old Hindu shrine that has been enlisted in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, are lying vacant since June 29, and political forces, especially the four major ones, have already started to use their influence to earn the plum position for those who are close to them. 

The government appoints nine members, including the member-secretary and the treasurer at the PADT, to work as a council, which is chaired by the incumbent minister for culture, tourism and civil aviation. The prime minister serves as the patron of the council. Among nine members of the PADT council, the four-year term of member-secretary Sushil Nahata and treasurer Narottam Baidya expired on June 29. 

The PADT collects cash offerings of about Rs 10 million from the devotees every month apart from precious metals and jewellery, according to the PADT. Owing to this fact, the posts are divided among the political parties. 

The four political forces — Unified CPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and United Democratic Madhesi Front — are gunning for earning the plum posts at the PADT for those who are close to them, according to highly placed government sources. “A lot of hustle and bustle in the corridors of power has already begun,” they claimed. 

The seven members who are serving now in the PADT are Shila Pant, Prabesh Ram Bhandari, Sunil Banshal, Sulochan Dangol, Umesh Kuikel, Ganesh Adhikari and Kokil Govind Shrestha. Pant and Bhandari were appointed on NC quota, Banshal from the business community, Dangol and Kuikel represent the CPN-UML, and Adhikari and Shrestha were sent by the UCPN-Maoist. Member-secretary and treasurer were appointed on NC quota.

This is purely a social and cultural body where cadres of political parties should not be appointed, said the outgoing treasurer Baidya.

While hearing a case against then culture minister Gopal Kirati, a UCPN-M leader, the Supreme Court on January 11, 2010 had ordered not to intervene politically in the cultural heritage site and not to disrespect the cultural harmony. Similarly in July 2011, then culture minister Khagendra Prasai had sacked a panel of Nahata and Baidya to appoint his nephew Laxmi Prasad Prasai at the PADT, but the apex court had nixed his move and reinstated the persons in question within a week. 

A high level working committee headed by former justice Kedar Nath Acharya, which was formed to study and recommend reforms, had suggested that the hallowed temple should be kept out of political intervention. The outgoing member-secretary Nahata said that suitable persons with sound cultural background and required qualification and unquestionable dedication should be appointed to take charge of the PADT to manage the world famous heritage site.

When different officials at the culture ministry were approached, they conceded, albeit in a hush-hush manner, that attempts were being made by different parties to win the top posts for their near and dear ones. 

Joint-secretary at their ministry, Bharat Mani Subedi, who is also the chief of the culture and heritage division, said that the ministry was preparing to fill the vacant posts soon. But he declined to comment on whether political muscle-flexing was on.

In early January 2009, then ruling Maoist party had ran into controversy after its cadres thrashed some priests and caretakers of the Pashupatinath Temple after the party appointed local priests by removing Indian priests going against a Supreme Court order.

Source: The Himalayan, DT. July 3, 2013.