By Our Correspondent
Damak, Dec. 3: A Master Plan has been released to upgrade and develop the Chandragadhi Airport in Jhapa district as a regional airport to operate international flights.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) released the master plan amidst a discussion programme with stakeholders organised at Birtamod on Tuesday in the presence of Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Bhattarai.
According to the master plan, additional 100 bighas of land needs to be pulled for the development of a regional airport in Chandragadhi. For this, the land occupied by major government offices, including the jail and the District Administrative Office should be evacuated.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister Bhattarai said that the government was upgrading various airports, including the Chandagadhi Airport for the development of aviation sector of Nepal. He expressed his commitment to making the Chandragadhi Airport a well-equipped and modern airport.
He said that expansion and development of Chandragadhi airport as a regional airport would be a milestone for the development of the region.
Highlighting the initiations taken by the government for the development of aviation sector, Minister Bhattarai said that Nepal’s aviation industry would be of world standards within next 10 years.
Minister Bhattarai urged all stakeholders to support to resolve the problems, including land pulling to upgrade the Chandragadhi Airport.
Rajan Pokharel, director general of CAAN, said that management of land was an important part for the expansion and development of Chandragadhi Airport.
He stressed on expediting the process of land pulling for the implementation of the master plan of the airport.
He said that the land occupied by the district jail, District Administration Office and other important offices should be evacuated for the expansion of the airport. Initiatives have been made to relocate the army barrack for the expansion of the airport.
He said that important government offices and structures could be obstacles to the expansion of the airport. Their management is important for the implementation of the master plan, he added.
For making Chandragadhi Airport a regional level international airport, expansion of current runway, construction of a new terminal building, expansion of parking and upgrading of access road to the airport are included in the master plan.
The estimated cost in implementing the airport expansion master plan is around Rs. 4.20 billion.