The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives (HoR) on Thursday made an inspection tour of Pashupatinath temple area in course of its probe into alleged irregularities of the temple fund.

The team of the parliamentary committee, led by its chair Chitra Bahadur KC, collected and inquired about the activities of the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) and income of the famous Hindu shrine.

The team also recorded problems and complaints made by the Trust officials and the temple priests.

The Public Accounts Committee and Mahabaleshor Bhatta, the head priest of Pashupati Temple, decided to formulate a management system to regularise income and expenditure of the temple in order to control irregularities.

Pashupatinath temple (File Photo)

Pashupatinath temple (File Photo)
During his meeting with lawmakers, Bhatta said that he would be happy to see a suitable management system and also called for a end of blaming him for irregularities in the temple.

Though the Supreme Court has ordered the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) to promulgate a (PADT) regulation to streamline the money flow, it is yet to toe the SC line.

Bhatta also told the MPs that the income of the temple is always divided between four Bhattas and 108 bhandari’s and that there was no irregularity.

Bhatta also claimed that he had only been taking the amount of the special puja and the amount would be deposited in the safe (main dhukuti) of the temple.

He also urged the MPs not to listen to libel against him just because he was an Indian national.

PAC chairman KC assured Bhatta that it is was the custom to get Bhattas from India but there was no ground to criticise any such Bhatta just because he would be an Indian.