Patna: Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday asked officials to improve infrastructure around Kesaria Stupa in East Champaran district and explore how to illuminate the monument at night.

"We approved everything right from a restaurant and sitting spaces near Kesaria Stupa to improving infrastructure for tourists and visitors. Their completion should be expedited," Nitish told officials. "It will be good if the stupa is illuminated with focused lights from below. Ask the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) about it. If ASI allows, we will do it."

The chief minister was speaking at the Lok Samvad (public dialogue) at his 1 Aney Marg residence in Patna after Kumar Kaushal, a resident of Motihari in East Champaran district, arrived with photographs to raise the issue of poor infrastructure and tourism facilities at Kesaria. Kaushal pointed out garbage strewn all around, dense growth and lack of infrastructure facilities like toilets, which put tourists from India as well as Thailand and Sri Lanka to much discomfort. Nitish said the state government could not do much as the stupa was under ASI, but said a "Tourism Bhavan" costing Rs 5.5 crore was coming up near it.

Officials told him a restaurant near the stupa was almost ready with just sanitary fittings and paintwork pending.

Discovered in 1958, Kesaria Stupa is considered among the tallest stupas (dome or bell-shaped monument that houses relics of the Buddha or his disciples) in the country. Archaeologists believe the Licchavi rulers of Vaishali built it. It has a circumference of around 430m and is 32m tall. Lord Buddha is said to have made several announcements from here, which later formed part of the Jataka tales.

The chief minister shared his experiences how he once stopped there unannounced during a visit in 2011-12 and found that just one fourth-grade employee was looking after the stupa. "It becomes completely dark at night and is not good to see," Nitish said and asked the officials to write to the ASI and attach photographs provided by Kaushal.

The ASI, meanwhile, has its own plans to spruce up the stupa site. In another suggestion at the Lok Samvad, Swadesh Prasad Gupta of Patna said civil engineering recruits and students should be taken to infrastructure sites so that they can gain practical knowledge about the work.

Nitish welcomed the suggestion and asked his officials to tag engineering colleges in a division with infrastructure works and students should be taken to the sites as part of education.