Sorry state of roads around Boudhanath Stupa area a hassle for tourists and locals

KATHMANDU, August 1: The roadway of Amitabha Buddha Marg in the Boudhanath area, a world heritage site, has remained in a damaged state for a long time without sight of any repairs for a long time. Due to a lack of maintenance on the road, locals are forced to either step over puddles and mud or breathe in dust as a result.

Although the road was blacktopped through a contract of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the road reached a sorry state just three months after the construction. Nayan Kumar Lama, former executive director of the Boudhanath Area Development Committee, said that although the construction company was in charge of the timely maintenance, nothing has been done so far.

"The local people have been suffering for a long time due to the lack of quality work," he added.

Due to this, the local residents, tourists, and devotees who come to Boudhanath are having to suffer from mud in rainy season and dust in winter, he said.

According to Bhuwan Lama, Ward Chairman of KMC-6, the poor condition of the road, which is connected to the north-east wall of the five-star hotel Hyatt Regency, does not send a good message to visiting tourists, adding that the issue will be raised in the executive meeting of the metropolitan city.

Tourists are charged for the development of the Buddhist area. That fee is accumulated in the bank account of the committee. But the remoteness of the road is affecting the world heritage area itself," he said.