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Obliging Tourists To Climb Dharahara Tower In Kathmandu
By KTM Metro Reporter
April 18, 2013: if you are visiting Kathmandu, and wish to visit the Hanumandhoka Area included in the world heritage, like it or not, you need to climb the Dharahara tower, the administration of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City has decided to collect Rs 250 from you in addition to Rs 750 you pay for visiting the world heritage area: Hanumandhoka in Kathmandu effective on May 1, 2013, according to the news on ‘gorkhapatra’ of today.
The KMC administration did not care whether you could climb the Dharahara tower or not, whether you were fit or not, whether you liked it or not but you would pay for it. The KMC administration had given the Dharahara tower on contract to Sidewalks Private Limited Company for running it for 20 years. The KMC administration wanted to make more than 100,000 visiting tourists pay for the benefits of the private company. The company could collect Rs 25 millions a year if the decision of the KMC administration was not rolled back.
Travel companies have been opposing this unique decision of the KMC administration on obliging the tourists to climb up the Dharahara tower. General Secretary of NATA Achyut Guragain has said that he has climbed up the Dharahara tower but it is not safe for the tourists, according to the news in ‘gorkhapatra’ of today.
If something were to go wrong to the tourists visiting the Dharahara tower then the private company taking the Dharahara tower on contract for running it would be responsible for the injuries caused to the tourists, and the company would need to pay compensation for that. Has the KMC administration thought about that?
Next, obliging the tourists visiting the world heritage area: Hanumandhoka to climb up the Dharahara tower was the violation of the human rights of the tourists to visit or not to visit the Dharahara tower. Thus, the KMC administration was violating the fundamental human rights of the tourists not to visit the Dharahara tower obliging them to visit the area and climb up the Dharahara tower.
The private company could collect Rs 250 from any tourist voluntarily climbing the Dharahara tower. So, the KMC administration should immediately rolled up the decision on forcing the tourists to pay Rs 250 along with the Rs 750. The KMC administration has no rights to oblige anybody to climb up the Dharahara tower in the interest of the contractor.
