Don't disrupt regional airport: Pokhara Organizations

POKHARA, March 24: More than 50 different business, political, professional and civil society organizations in Pokhara have urged the government not to delay or disrupt the construction of regional international airport.



Participants in a meeting organized by Pokhara Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Saturday, even threatened to launch stringent protests if anyone interrupted the initiative to build the airport. [break]



"We will fight against people who create hurdles to develop the airport," read a press release jointly issued by 53 different organizations. "Regional international airport is a long-promised and pursued dream project of Pokhara. We will leave no stones unturned to get it materialized," states the release.



Regional airport in Pokhara was promised by the government more than three decade ago and the government has even acquired land at Chhinedana in 1976.

Locals and various organizations convened the meeting after the parliament´s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) summoned officials from Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) and Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) to grill them on the tender process.



PAC summoned officials over the short deadline for tender bid saying there was suspicion of corruption. It also summoned Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun for signing a memrandum of understanding with a Chinese contractor assuring help in obtaining the tender.



On PAC´s instruction, the government extended the bid deadline by 30 days. The government begun the process to build the airport after China´s Exim Bank gave a nod for soft loans of Rs 12 billion.



"There are some anti-development forces, hatching conspiracy and raising unnecessary issues to prevent the development of airport in Pokhara," Raj Kaji Guru, constitutional assembly member from Kaski said. He even accused people lobbying for development of regional international airport in Lumbini of creating troubles in Pokhara Airport project.



The meeting also formed an all-party special committee to advocate and clarify issues related to the development of airport. "The special committee will also communicate with everyone concerned on regional airport in Pokhara," one of the participants said.



Travel trade entrepreneurs in Pokhara have been pushing the government to speed up the airport development, mainly as it would boost the Lake City´s economic outlook and also facilitate social transformation in the region.

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