General Secretary of Lumbini Development Trust Fund Dhundiraj Bhattarai said that the Lumbini Pooja Bhoomi Development Master Plan in Nepal will be completed in three years.
“It has been planned to expedite the Lumbini Puja Bhoomi Development Project aiming to allow people to visit Lumbini with more facilities. Accordingly, the development activities of the Lumbini Pooja Bhoomi Development Master Plan is in progress at a cost of Nepal Rs. 5.5 billion (LKR 13.75 billion)
The development work of the Lumbini Pooja Bhoomi, centered on the Lumbini Park where Prince Sidhartha was born, is currently in full swing.
The Lumbini Development Master Plan was implemented jointly by the United Nations Organization and the Nepalese government in 1978 but it was delayed for years. However with the establishment of democracy in Nepal in 1990, the plan is in progress now with the assistance of many countries including Sri Lanka.
According to Bhattarai, more than 50 percent of the development plan has already been completed.
The General Secretary said that the construction work has started again aiming to be completed in three years. He added this at a press conference held in Lumbini for Sri Lankan and Indian journalists recently.
The development of Lumbini Pooja Bhoomi consists of constructing Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist Monasteries and Lumbini village. Accordingly, Buddhist monastery complexes have been built in 13 Theravada countries and 29 Mahayana countries.
Media Officer of Lumbini Development Trust Rajan Basnet and President of Asian Media and Culture Association (AMCA) of Nepal Chapter, Sanjhana Paudel also joined the press conference.
Dharma Sri Abeyratne