Agriculture, tourism and water resources are basis for development: President Paudel

President Ramchandra Paudel has termed agriculture, tourism, industry, and water resources as the foundation for the country's development. In his address to a programme organised at Tanahusur of Tanahu on the eve of World Heritage Day today, the President said a peaceful, happy, and prosperous Nepal is the spirit of the Constitution achieved along with political transformation and a federal democratic republic system that we chose to have. As the Head of the State said, good governance and the welfare government accountable to the citizens are fundamental to rejuvenating such sentiments. "It is necessary to realize the commitments of the government and the political parties for good governance, development and employment opportunities," he said. Commenting on the significance of Tanahusurdanda, he said it serves as a treasury for historic heritages and monuments, albeit having been neglected for long. "Now it is our responsibility to further explore the significance of the area, protect and promote it." H ighlighting the development in infrastructure construction in the area, he said Tanahusur is getting connected by a cemented road towards Chundi and Damauli and inconveniences of the past are being alleviated. According to the President, Tanahusur also carries a glorious political history for being the origin of the 1951 political revolution in the district. He said martyr Buddha Singh Rana Mangar who attained martyrdom in 2018 BS belonged to Tanahusur. He also remembered and paid homage Dharmadhwaj Gurung, Dharmaraj Shrestha, Uttar Kumar Shrestha, Santa Bahadur Rana Magar, Chandra Bahadur Sarki (Nepali), and Khadga Bahadur Godar who had, as he said, attained martyrdom during the Bandipur struggle in the district. According to him, the State is yet to fulfill its responsibility towards those martyrs and their families. He recalled that he got the opportunity to represent this region in the Parliament as a representative from the goodwill he received from this area during the days of hard struggle in his po litical life and the public trust received in the general elections held after the political change of 1990, and that he also got the opportunity to contribute to the peace process and to write the constitution. "I am always grateful to the people of this district for all this and now, as the guardian of the country's constitution, I feel proud to have the opportunity to come to this programme among you. I feel that all this is possible because of your good wishes and goodwill, and I want to express my gratitude for this," the President further said. Tanahusur, during the Sen period, was not only the centre of state administration, but also an intellectual centre of Sanskrit, Maithili, Bhojpuri and Persian languages. It is mentioned in the history that the fame of Sanskrit scholars especially in Chundi Valley spread to Kashinagari (India). It was in this educational and scholarly tradition that the pioneer poet Bhanubhakta Acharya was born and his fame spread in the Nepali-speaking world. Highlighting this , he said that a comprehensive plan of Bhanu Sahitya Udyan (Literary Park) was initiated in Chundi-Ramgha, a 108-feet-tall statue of Veda Vyasa is being constructed in Damauli, construction of Martyr Park in the touristic cities of Bandipur and Tanahusur, etc, gave a clear glimpse of the development of various tourism destinations in Tanahun. "In the recent days, along with the religious, historical and cultural areas of Bandipur, Damauli, Manung etc., the historical region of Tanahunsur is developing as a tourist destination, and there is a need to attract domestic and foreign tourists who reach the famous tourist city of Pokhara via the Prithvi Highway to visit various areas of the district including Tanahunsur," said President Paudel. He expressed his appreciation, stating that the Ministry of Forests of the Government of Nepal has brought the plan for constructing the Bhanu Zoological Park in this area, but there has been a delay in implementation of the plan. The President stated that the relevant agen cies will pay attention to it and this plan will take shape. Noting that one of the pride projects of the country, the Tanahun Hydropower Project took shape through our many efforts and now it is in the implementation stage, he said another plan, namely the Lower Seti hydropower project has reached the commencement stage. "The goal of all three levels of government should be to bring the benefits of official development in backward areas like Tanahunsur heritage area connected with such projects", President Paudel said, "Tanahunsur was a natural fort in the past, it has historical and strategic importance as well, and the whole of Nepal is dependent on such strategic importance. It has sustained on such natural conditions and these have saved Nepal. On the occasion, the Gandaki provincial government's Minister without Portfolio, Hari Bahadur Chuman viewed that the development activities have made headway in the district, creating an environment for people who have migrated out to return. He demanded that t he Tanahusur-Khadgakali Road should be fully constructed. According to him, although the priority of Gandaki province is tourism development, works have not taken place to this end due to budget constraint. Similarly, Gandaki Province Assembly member Ashok Kumar Shrestha informed that the provincial government has allocated budget for the development of the Khadgakali Temple area and for the construction of the Tanahusur-Khadgakali road section. Mayor of Byas Municipality Baikuntha Neupane stressed on the need of conservation of the historic Tanahusur. Source: National News Agency RSS