KATHMANDU: The Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives has instructed the government to submit all documents related to the decision to lease out 116 bighas of land to a private company to construct a stupa in the Ramgram area of Nawalparasi.
The committee has instructed the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation to provide the documents within seven days.
The House panel discussed the matter on Tuesday after news reports claimed that the Lumbini Development Trust had signed an agreement with the Singapore-based firm Moksha Foundation for the Ramgram development plan without undergoing any competitive bidding process. “The committee has taken note of news reports indicating that the Lumbini Development Trust has engaged in an agreement with a private company to acquire 116 bighas of public land and lease it for 90 years for the excavation and construction of a Buddhist stupa in the Ramgram region,” the PAC stated in its decision.
Ramgram is believed to be one of the eight stupas where Lord Buddha’s relics were housed.
According to news reports, Moksha Foundation has collaborated with the Nepali firm, Promised Land, to execute the plan. Promised Land is the company of Sharada Prasad Adhikari, a close ally of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
Himal Press
30 Jan 2024
