Changunarayan, Bhaktapur June 4: Japan University Students Association Nepal (JUSAN), an organisation of Nepali students who studied in Japan, organised various programmes to mark the environment day here today.

The programmes that comprised sapling plantation in the area and a speech contest among the student of the local schools aims at improving the deteriorating condition of the Changunarayan Temple premises which has been included in the UNESCO world heritage list.

The 678-year old temple that lies on a 1,541 high hillock in Bhaktapur is in a dilapidated condition with the roofs leaking water during the rainfall.

Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Mitsuaki Kojima said that despite Nepal’s natural beauty and living heritage tourists were unhappy with Kathmandu’s environmental pollution.

“All the Nepalis have to realise that they have to protect and preserve heritage and ecological environment,” he said.

Changunarayan VDC Chairman Mohan Bir Shrestha accused the government of failing to provide adequate money for the renovation of the temple. “The Department of Archaeology demands 7-8 million rupees while the government allocates less than 200 thousand rupees,” he said at the programme chaired by JUSAN president Harendra Bahadur Barwa.