Mustang folks eager to welcome Indian PM Modi with civic felicitation

Dhruba Sagar Sharma
MUKTINATH, May 8: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to be offered a civic felicitation during his upcoming visit to the Muktinath, the famous holy shrine in Mustang district.

The Indian Prime Minister who is arriving Nepal on a two-day State Visit on May 11 is scheduled to visit the Muktinath Temple on May 12.

The Mustang folks have geared up for offering the civic felicitation to the VVIP guest from India, Barhagaun Muktishetra Rural Municipality chair Indradhara Bista said.

Bista is also the joint-coordinator of district-level welcome committee formed in view of the Indian Prime Minister’s visit.

According to the ward chair, the Mustang people hope that the visit of Prime Minister Modi to the Mutkinath, remaining as the common sacred place for Hindus and Buddhists, would help publicise it worldwide. He will be the first VVIP guest from foreign land to visit the temple. We are committed not to leave any stone unturned to provide courtesy, hospitality and respect to him.

Preparations are underway to present the local art and culture to him. But the presentation of cultural program will depend as per his schedule. Modi is scheduled to arrive here on a helicopter for special puja.

Maintenance and daubing of the temple, cleanliness of 108 water taps and preparations of the VVIP room have been conducted before the Indian Prime Minister’s visit.

The Muktinath village and temple entrance have been decorated. He is scheduled to spend one hour to perform the special puja at the temple and the civic felicitation has been scheduled before he sits for the puja, said temple main priest Krishna Prasad Subedi.

All preparations for this have been completed. We are pleased to hear the news that the Indian Prime Minister is arriving here and conducting the puja and we will facilitate him to perform the puja with the application of all established rituals.

Security arrangements have been tightened at Ghansa of Mustang-Myagdi border and Thorang- La pass of Manang in view of Modi’s visit.

Beni-Jomson route and Thorang-La pass are to be sealed off on May 11 and 12. Works of taking details of guests of hotels situated on the route from Marfa of Mustang to Kagbeni are going on, Mustang’s Chief District Officer Shishir Poudel said.

A mini ICU (intensive care unit) has been set up at Muktinath, bearing in mind the Prime Minister’s visit.

We are much concerned about the visit and a mini ICU has been in place bearing in mind the possible health issues that the Indian Prime Minister and other members in the delegation might come across during the visit, CDO Poudel added.

Health specialists from Nepal and India will be available in the mini ICU during the visit. Ambulance services will be on standby.

The Ministry of Health in the central government is coordinating with the District Administration Office about what type of human resources, infrastructures and health care services are required for Modi and his delegation. RSS