Bhaktapur, March 28: All government offices and stakeholders have expressed commitment to make the ‘Nagarkot Visit Year-2082’, which will begin on April 1, a success.
The heads of government offices expressed this commitment at an interaction program with heads of government offices regarding the Visit Nepal Year held at the Changunarayan Municipality Office today under the leadership of Chief District Officer Gopal Prasad Aryal.
Speaking at the program, Chief District Officer Aryal said that since the Nagarkot Visit Year is a matter of prestige not only for Changunarayan but also for Bhaktapur and the country, all offices will provide support from their respective fields to make it a success. Urging the municipality to ensure peace and security for tourists during the visit year, he pointed out that work should be done to ‘brand’ Nagarkot.
“Nagarkot is also a tourist destination. There is more interest in the festival. Before coming to Nagarkot, domestic and foreign tourists try to understand what is special about this place. Not only the sunrise, sunset and mountains, but also the local products, art, culture and identity have been branded and should be sold,” said Pradya Aryal. “Various products from here to handicrafts should be put up for sale, there should be easy transportation arrangements, there should be certainty about how much discount hoteliers give to tourists, and attention should be paid to quality.”
He said that the plan should be taken forward using the media and digital media to spread the message to tourists coming from Bhaktapur to Dhulikhel to visit Nagarkot once and stay for at least two nights, both in the country and abroad. Chief District Officer Aryal said that management should be done in such a way that everyone from ordinary to middle-class families can come and stay in Nagarkot, and that the Visit Year should be advanced in coordination with all three governments.
Mayor Jeevan Khatri said that the district-based government office should provide support in strengthening security arrangements throughout the visit year, creating a free Wi-Fi zone in Nagarkot, repairing the road leading to Nagarkot, and making smooth arrangements for electricity supply, among other things, for the Visit Year to be jointly organized by Changunarayan, Shankharapur in Kathmandu, Mandan Deupur in Kavrepalanchok, and Banepa Municipality by making Nagarkot a major tourist destination.
He said, “We have organized the Visit Year by making Nagarkot a departure point for domestic and foreign tourists. Preparations have been made to make each area from Changunarayan to Nagarkot and Tathali, which is a World Heritage Site, a tourist destination, to highlight the heritage there, to showcase products, to hold a separate festival in each ward every month, and to have other municipalities also jointly organize tourism activities in Nagarkot and within their municipal areas.”
Superintendent of Police of the Police Range, Madhav Budhathoki, said that the police stationed in Bhaktapur should be mobilized to Nagarkot as much as possible to ensure security, CCTV cameras should be installed on the roads, local volunteers should be mobilized, and the road should be repaired.
Electricity Authority Chief Satyanarayan Sah and Telecommunications Authority Chief Ram Prasad Sah said that electricity should be provided by removing the substation at the event venue, repairing the poles, removing unnecessary poles, and removing the loose internet wires of a private company on the poles.
Kamala Gyawali, head of the Education Development and Coordination Unit, said that a yoga education campaign should be launched for culturally-based education, a one school, one entrepreneurship campaign should be launched, books should be made free on Fridays in schools, and educational tour programs should be held in Nagarkot.
