Legal Complexities in Heritage Conservation Affecting Tourism: Mayor Maharjan

Mayor Chiri Babu Maharjan of Lalitpur Metropolitan City has said that legal complexities in Nepal’s heritage conservation are negatively affecting the tourism sector.

Speaking at the Inter-Governmental Fiscal Council and Sectoral Committee meeting, he stressed that the poor condition of roads leading out of the capital has also become a major obstacle to tourism development, making infrastructure improvement essential.

“People going from Kathmandu have to say ‘Ram Ram’ because the road condition is very poor,” he said.

According to him, the Public Procurement Act 2063 has created significant challenges, particularly in heritage conservation work. Lalitpur, a historic city where the Patan Durbar Square has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, has seen its restoration and conservation efforts affected.

Citing the example of Shankhamul’s Jagnarayan Temple, Maharjan said weak contracting practices have left projects incomplete. Contractors often abandon work after taking projects at very low bids and later facing financial losses, he added.

He stressed the need for major reforms in the Public Procurement Act 2063.

“Our entire heritage work also falls under this act. Lalitpur is a city of heritage. If we continue working under this law in Patan Durbar Square, what will be its condition?” he said.

He also claimed that better results were achieved when local levels directly handled restoration work.

“We rebuilt all the temples in Patan Durbar Square after local representatives came into office. We did not take money from the federal government, and the work was better because the Public Procurement Act did not apply,” he said.

Maharjan emphasized that heritage conservation and tourism promotion require a separate legal framework, arguing that applying standard procurement procedures to heritage projects risks damaging historically significant structures.