As many as 44 delegates from countries and multilateral institutions like Sir Lanka, Bhutan, France, Sudan, Pakistan, Thailand, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), World Bank, United Nations, United Nations Population Fund and the International Red Cross inspected the damage caused to various historical and cultural buildings and monuments in the heritage site by the April 25 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks.
Ministry of Finance, which facilitated the delegates' visit, said that Minister for Disaster Management of Sri Lanka A H M Fowzie, Minister for Finance of Bhutan Lyonpo Namgay Dorji and President of JICA Akihiko were among top delegates from 16 countries who visited the heritage site and Sankhu village, a town to the east of Kathmandu Valley, severely damaged by the earthquake.
Surya Prasad Acharya, joint-secretary at the Ministry of Finance, said that the delegates visited the heritage site in two shifts and, then, headed for Sankhu to make an inspection of the buildings damaged by the earthquake.
Sankhu continues jatra celebration despite COVID-19 restriction...
Foreign delegates at Basantapur Durbar Square on Wednesday. (Photo: Pratik Rayamajhi/Republica)
"The delegates' visit to the two places were organized to show them the actual picture on the ground," said he.
Saraswati Singh, chairperson of Hanuman Dhoka Museum Development Committee under the Department of Archeology, said that after a tour of the heritage sites, the guests also interacted with locals to understand the earthquake's impact at household level. "The locals urged them to help the government in renovating the historical sites as tourism is an important element in the Nepali economy," added she.
