The Campaign to Rebuild Kasthmandap (CRK), a non-profit and community-led movement, has expressed its concerns over the National Reconstruction Authority’s decision to hand over the reconstruction of Kasthmandap to the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC). 

In a press release on Thursday, the campaign has criticised NRA’s decision of giving responsibility of rebuilding the iconic monument to the KMC as arbitrary. It had said that it would not subscribe to such one sided decision. 

“NRA informed us that KMC would take charge of reconstruction in a meeting. We do not comply with such one-sided decision made by the government agency,” the campaign said in the statement. 

Last May, it had entered into a legally binding agreement on rebuilding the monument with the NRA, the Department of Archeology (DOA) and the Kathmmandu Metropolitan City (KMC). 

The agreement gave full responsibility to the campaign to lead the reconstruction of the 7th century monument located in Maru, which gave Kathmandu its name, CRK representatives said. 

However, the rebuilding campaign faced interference from the KMC. 

Last month, KMC officials had vandalised the bamboo shed put up to cover the Kasthamandap foundation. They also took away the keys of the site where the staff were working, the statement reads. “KMC, DoA and NRA should take full responsibility of damage to the monument.”

The campaign has asked for an all-party meeting and immediate attention to cover the foundation from monsoon rain. 

“We even supported KMC by providing them our design to protect the foundation, and also with logistics. But none of the government bodies paid much heed to our repeated calls to act urgently to protect the foundation from rains,” the campaign said, adding the KMC’s action had delayed its plan to complete the shed construction.