The Centre recalled that the World Heritage Committee at its eighteenth session expressed its appreciation for the monitoring report prepared by the Department of Archaeology on the progress made in implementing the recommendations of the Committee at its seventeenth session. The Committee approved in December 1994, a technical cooperation request under the World Heritage Fund to finance a six-month mission of an international technical adviser to Kathmandu to assist the authorities in the preparation of a package of projects for international funding and to establish a development control unit within the Department of Archaeology to prevent further encroachment of the protected monument zones of this World Heritage site, and to implement the other recommendations made by the UNESCO/ICOMOS mission of November 1993. The international expert has been identified and deployment is scheduled for August 1995.
The Bureau was informed that on 23 February 1995, the Centre officially transmitted its concern to the Government of Nepal on reports concerning the demolition of Joshi Agamchen in Kathmandu Darbar Square Monument Zone. By letter of 14 March 1995, the Director-General of the Department of Archaeology informed the Centre of its intervention with the private trust which is the owner of this historic building to ensure that the conservation works in progress meet the international standards of conservation practice.
The Centre indicated that it had been informed of other cases of demolition of historic buildings located on the fringe of the existing boundaries of Patan Darbur Square Monument Zone. This area is part of the suggested expansion zone to be included in the revised boundary which was accepted by the Government following the UNESCO/ICOMOS mission recommendation. The new gazette of the revised boundary has not yet been issued.
Noting with concern, reports on the continued demolition of and alterations to historic buildings within the World Heritage protected zones and in areas pending official inclusion, the Bureau suggested that the Chairman of the Committee write to the Government authorities urging the urgent publication of the Government gazette indicating the new boundaries of the protected areas and the early establishment of the Inter-ministerial Task Force to implement the actions agreed upon by the Government to strengthen the protection of the World Heritage site of Kathmandu Valley. The Bureau recommended that the Inter-ministerial Task Force and the international technical adviser, report on the latest developments through the official Government channels, to the nineteenth session of the Committee.