KIRAN PANDAY

On the last day of Dasain, President Ram Baran Yadav visited Bhaktapur's Nawadurga temple and caused road maintenance authorities there a headache.

These authorities commission people to even out roads by filling potholes with tar and gravel. When they were notified of the President's visit, they had to scramble together a team to fix the Arniko Highway connecting Kathmandu with Bhaktapur. "Because the President was coming, we had to fix the roads one way or another," said one road repairman. He said 18 people were put to the emergency task.

The same thing happened last year but large swathes of the road, over 2km in total, have disintegrated since. Only bits of the pitch laid down last year remain.

The President passed through Suryabinayak, Sallaghari, Jagathi and Chyamasingh before reaching the temple at 3:20PM. He spent about 10 minutes worshipping and then left.

The President drew a huge crowd when he took this trip last year. Fewer people were interested this time around, although some Maoists waved black flags at him, chanting slogans in support of civilian supremacy.