House committee directs govt to remove legal hurdles for Nijgadh Airport

KATHMANDU: International Relations Committee under the House of Representatives has instructed the government to remove legal hurdles regarding the implementation of Nijgadh Airport construction project and resume it. A meeting of the committee held in Singha Durbar on Monday reached a conclusion that the decision to halt a large investment project initiated after a long study deemed not appropriate from any angle. According to Committee President Pabitra Niraula, the meeting decided to instruct the government to clear off legal obstructions and promptly resume the construction of the airport as a project of national pride. The understanding of the meeting was that the project was capable of promoting the national interest and strengthening national economy and the decision to suspend it would cause an additional loss to the nation that has already suffered a burden of external and internal loans. It may be noted that the Supreme Court last Thursday issued an order directing the government to cease the construction works.  With the court’s verdict, confusions hover over the implementation of the project. It may be noted that the government in its policies and programmes and the budget for the fiscal year 2022/23 has announced to continue with the airport construction works. The committee members including Bhim Bahadur Rawal, Prakash Man Singh, Dibyamani Raj Bhandari, Pushpa Bhusal, Sarala Kumari Yadav, Surendra Kumar Karki, Sudan Kirati, Renuka Gurung, Narad Mani Rana, Chandata Kumari, Dipak Prakash Bhatta, Prem Prasad Tulachan and Sujita Shakya univocally demanded the resumption of the airport project after resolving legal hurdles. Stating that the Supreme Court's verdict has put the matter in difficulty, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Prem Bahadur Ale viewed that there is no alternative to the resumption of the project. He referred to over Rs 3 billion spent on the project by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) and the transfer of over 8,050 hectares of land in the name of the Airport. For the project, the master plan and environmental impact assessment have been already made. Secretary of Tourism Minister Maheshwor Neupane and the CAAN Director General Pradip Adhikari were also in favour of resuming the project. Adhikari warned that a halt of the project would pose a long-term loss to country's entire economy. The airport could be an alternative to the Tribhuvan International Airport which can handle 9.2 million passengers annually in the context when 1 million passengers have been added every year in the country and around 10% globally, he reasoned. Meanwhile, the committee meeting offered its condolence and passed a condolence motion in the Tara Air aircraft crash wherein 22 people including a pilot and crew members aboard were killed. Similarly, it also observed a one-minute silence and extended its condolence to the bereaved families. READ ALSO:

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