Restore it right

Using groundwater to replenish Rani Pokhari is a continuity of the vandalism of historical sites by authorities.

It has been four years since President Bidya Devi Bhandari laid the foundation stone for the restoration of the 17th-century Rani Pokhari after it was severely damaged by the Gorkha earthquake; but its restoration, which is finally nearing completion after several failed starts and vandalism, is once again mired in a fresh disagreement between conservationists and authorities. On Tuesday, the National Reconstruction Authority pumped muddy water extracted from deep bore wells to replenish the iconic pond. The move comes despite criticism from geologists and conservationists who had opposed the idea ever since the authority dug two boreholes, each 240 feet deep, to the northeast and southeast of the pond.