सिंहदरबार संवाददाता
Siraha. Devidaha located in Lahan Municipality-17 of Siraha is becoming ugly due to lack of conservation. Due to lack of budget in this area, which is also a tourist destination, the physical structures around the pond are becoming dilapidated. If this pond, located at the foot of Chure, six kilometers north of Lahan Bazaar on the East-West Highway, can be properly conserved, it is certain to become a favorite of domestic and foreign tourists.
Despite continuous initiatives for the conservation and development of this wetland area spread over an area of six hectares within the Devidaha Community Forest, significant progress has not been made, said Kapileshwor Yadav, Chairman of the Forest Users Group and Devidaha Conservation Committee. ‘This pond is famous for religious and historical reasons.
People flock to it during fairs and festivals. There is a popular belief that if devotees make vows, their wishes will be fulfilled and diseases will go away,’ he said, ‘but due to lack of budget, conservation is not being carried out. Some of the structures built are dilapidated and some are incomplete.’
According to him, only two of the five boats for ‘Jal Yatra’ in the pond are operational. Chairman Yadav informed that the first President of Nepal, Dr. Ram Baran Yadav, visited this area during his tenure and allocated a budget of 15.9 million rupees for the conservation of the pond under the ‘President Chure Development Program’. He said that the funds were used to build the Ram Janaki Temple, water management, and other works in the pond area.
A plan agreement of Rs 52.2 million was signed by the Nepal Tourism Board on Bhadra 1, 2077 BS for the conservation and beautification of Devidaha Pond, but it could not be implemented, informed Chairman Yadav. He said that the construction of the six-kilometer road from Lahan’s Khuttikhola to Devidaha, the ‘Pavilion’ view tower in the pond area, and the quay bridge, as envisaged by the project, could not proceed. He complained that despite repeated requests to the current mayor, Mahesh Prasad Chaudhary, no one has listened to him.
Ward Chairman Pratham Lal Chaudhary of this ward said that he is doing his best to help for the development of Devidaha. He said, “The resources and means of the ward are unlimited. We are also doing our best to help with that.” He informed that a Devi temple was built last year with the financial support of eight lakh rupees from the ward. Ward Chairman Chaudhary said that the government at all three levels should give priority to the protection and promotion of such ponds in the Chure region, as the groundwater level is decreasing.
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