KATHMANDU: The Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) has formed the main function committee to prepare for Mahashivaratri festival.

A committee has been formed under the chair of Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Prem Bahadur Ale, who is also the chair of the PADT management council.

According to PADT spokesperson Revathiraman Adhikari, ten sub-committees have also been formed for the preparation of Mahashivaratri under the main committee. Sub-committees have been formed to monitor the security arrangements, publicity arrangements, philosophy, sandalwood temple and night arrangements, accommodation, food and physical infrastructure arrangements, arrangement of saints and religious programs, environment and sanitation shoes and slippers arrangement.

He shared that preparations for Mahashivaratri festival have also been started by forming 10 sub-committees including health care system, fair market and decoration arrangement, volunteer mobilization system and statistics and evaluation system.

The PADT is also preparing to reopen the main temple of Pashupatinath before Mahashivaratri. The temple remains closed as soon as the third wave of Corona started. This year the Mahashivaratri festival is being celebrated on March 1.