Misuse of government funds in the name of temples

TIKAPUR, June 27: Reports have surged regarding the misuse of government funds to build more than a dozen temples alongside the irrigation office in Tikapur Municipality-1. The temples are built by different castes and religions with the help of government funds. Some of the temples have land ownership, while others are on occupied land.

Funding from the provincial government and the municipality are heavily invested in these temples. Many temples with their contacts in high post have even managed to receive funding from the federal government. Although, some temples are run by the stakeholders through fundraising.

The temples which are constructed with the help of government funds remain shut most of the year but are open to the public only on worship days.

According to Lalit Thapa, a local of the municipality, “A temple should have daily ceremonial activities and should be open for worship but these temples are always locked.” The funds from the government are being misused,” he said.

Furthermore, Tikapur Municipality has allocated a huge amount of budget for various temples inside the municipality for the coming fiscal year. Many other temples inside the municipality have been allocated funds from the ward office and the provincial government as well. The administration has decided to allocate Rs 3 million for Kailaseshwar Shiva Temple alone.

Earlier, the Municipal Council had criticized the actions of the administration heavily. Bina Tharu, a member of the council, had raised her voice against the misuse of funds by giving them to temples while people were suffocating due to the lack of oxygen during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

According to Mohan Aryal, chief administration officer of the municipality, the administration has already allocated nearly Rs 3.5 million for temples. “A huge budget has been allocated for the health sector as well. Nobody cares about that,” Aryal said. “I have heard many comments from people regarding the temples’ budget,” he added.

However, Tikapur is not the only municipality where huge funds are distributed to temples and religious shrines. As much as Rs 1.5 billion of government funds is spent in the name of temples in Sudur Paschim Province alone.

The provincial government has been spending nearly over Rs 500 million in the name of temples in the region for the past few years. The administration has allocated the same amount of money in the name of temples for the coming fiscal year.

It has been speculated that the ward offices and the provincial government are misusing the funds in the name of temples. According to sources, people with high contacts have even misused funds from the budget for their private ceremonial use.

According to Nirmal Dhakal, joint secretary at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, plans have been made for a third party monitoring in the upcoming fiscal year to prevent the misuse of the budget with the help of government bodies, people’s representatives, and civil society members. “We are planning to move forward after formulating some plans,” Dhakal said. “We can decrease the misuse of funds to some extent,” he added.

Initially, there was a fierce protest regarding the misuse of funds in the name of temples. Following the outcry, they started allocating funds in the name of repaints, fencing, and maintenance of the temples.

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