We would like to believe that the foundation-laying ceremony on Wednesday for a regional international airport in Pokhara marks something important: start of the implementation of all the agreements that Nepal signed with China during Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's recent China visit. The international airport in Pokhara has been designated a national priority project given its importance for economic development of the Western Development Region and given Pokhara's place as one of the most sought-after tourist destinations in South Asia. The huge public participation witnessed during the foundation-laying ceremony, with attendees from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, many of them bearing national flags in their hands, was a sight to behold. It suggested a few things. One, people of the Western region have pinned high hopes on the new airport to improve their socio-economic status. Two, it suggested that people also see the airport as a symbol of a new calibration in Nepal's relations with India and China, and the country's much-needed diversification away from India. The locals were getting rather restless with the on-again off-again project. Finally, it has taken off.But this is just the start. The new airport is scheduled for completion in 2020 but given the tardiness that we have come to associate with our government mechanisms, we would be lucky to have the airport ready by then. In the past too we have witnessed work on many important hydro projects start and then quickly stall. Since many construction materials will have to be imported from India, any further disruptions in Indo-Nepal trade could also affect the project. So would another bout of instability in Madhesh. Another risk is that should there be a change in government tomorrow, the new government might not be as committed to the project. This is why it is important to have a cross-party understanding on development of these national priority projects so that there can continue to be progress on them, irrespective of who comes to power.
Other national priority projects like Kathmandu-Tarai Fast Track and another international airport in Nijgadh have also been stuck, for one or the other reason. This is why, now with the constitution in hand, the focus of all political parties must shift to sorting out the few remaining constitutional issues and then collectively forging ahead for national development. Last year's earthquakes followed by the Indian blockade pushed the Nepali economy back by at least a decade, in the reckoning of most economists. The good news is that from the dismal low we are currently in, there is only one way to go: up. The political transition in Nepal, which started with the overthrow of monarchy in 2006, has dragged on for far too long, which in turn has decimated the national economy. So the focus hereon in has to be Nepal's swift economic transformation, from one of the poorest countries in the world into a stable and prosperous bride between India and China, two of the biggest and fastest growing economies. Whether Nepal can achieve this will depend on progress on vital projects like Pokhara international airport.
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