The third session of the Madhesh Manthan emphasised the need for the resurrection of Janakpur as a socio-cultural, economic and political hub and the strategies required to achieve that goal.

The speakers for the third session titled ‘Janakpur Renaissance: Opportunity to Return Glory’ were Janakpurdham Sub-Metropolitan Mayor Manoj Kumar Sah, Province Assembly member Ram Ashish Yadav, Lawyer Rekha Jha and Writer and Analyst Roshan Janakpur.

Jha said the development of Janakpur and that of the Madhesh Province requires equal participation of women in all public forums. Unless there is a complete overhaul in religious and social norms that bar women from participation, the development achieved will be meaningless, she said.

“Take the Rajdevi temple for example. It’s the temple of a goddess and women are not allowed to enter. Such restrictions are not applicable to men,” she said. “Change for development should begin here.”

Citing the recently-held local-level elections, she pointed out women have even been robbed of their constitutional right because of alliance politics.

Speaking during the session, Janakpurdham Sub-Metropolitan Mayor Manoj Kumar Sah said that the first step to the beautification of Janakpur should be proper waste management.

“Despite the decrease in the litter on the roads, garbage is far from managed well. Waste segregation is a must to keep Janakpur clean,” he said.

Writer and Analyst Roshan Janakpuri said resources should be put to better use for the development of Janakpur and that rather than spending fiscal resources on temples, the money should go to schools. “Religion is important but people should not remain silent on issues such as price hikes. Everyone is interested in protecting the identity of Madhesh but very few speak up on important issues that affect their daily lives,” he said.

Province Assembly Member Ram Ashish Yadav argued that if the federal government had focussed on the development of Janakpur early on, the development would have been achieved by now. “If the federal government had worked sincerely for the upliftment of Janakpur, development would have taken place by now,” he said.

“It is important to have conversations to preserve the art, craft, culture, language and tradition of Madhesh for its overall development,” said Yadav.

For the development of Janakpur, Yadav said that the government has invested in infrastructure development. “Swargadwari has been built; Mahaganga Aarti has been launched, roads have been widened, Janakpur airport has been upgraded, railways have come into operation. The health sector has also improved. But this is just the beginning. Renaissance cannot be achieved alone, everyone must help,” he said.