Study team formed to operate int’l airports under PPP model

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Feb. 2: The government has formed a study committee regarding the operation of the international airports in public private partnership (PPP) model.

A meeting of the Council of Ministers held on Thursday approved the proposal to form a study committee submitted by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. 

As per the decision, a five-member committee has been formed under the coordination of former secretary Shankar Prasad Adhikari, investment expert Ghana Shyam Ojha, Buddhi Sagar Lamichhane, head of the aviation division of the Ministry, Dipendra Shrestha, Joint Secretary of the Investment Board and Deputy Director of the Civil Aviation Authority, as member secretary, according to Minister for Communication and Information Technology Rekha Sharma.

The committee has been formed to study the issue of operating Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa and Pokhara International Airport in Pokhara at full capacity under PPP model.

Similarly, the government has formed a committee to take the national flag carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) into a management contract. The committee was formed under the chairmanship of former governor and former member of the National Planning Commission, Deependra Bahadur Kshetry.

According to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, the Kshetry-committee was formed for the operation of the Corporation under management contract.

The committee has Tika Ram Rai as a management expert, while other members include Chakra Bahadur Budha, Director General of Tourism Department, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, who is a member of NAC’s Board of Directors, and Head of Finance Department of the Corporation. 

The committee has been given a period of 45 days to decide the modality of awarding the management contract.

Kshetry and Rai were also in another committee formed earlier to enhance the managerial efficiency of the Corporation. This committee has already given its report.

Likewise, Bikram Rai has been appointed as the Vice Chairman of Nepal Airlines Corporation. Earlier to this, Bikram Rai was the member of the board of directors of the NAC.

Bikram Rai has been appointed to the post in accordance with Sub-section 4 of the Section 4 of the Nepal Airlines Service Act-2019 B.S. 

Similarly, the Cabinet meeting decided to endorse and table a Bill prepared to amend the Safe Transactions Act-2063 B.S. in the Federal Parliament. 

Spokesperson of the government and Minister Sharma said that the meeting has nominated Lekh Nath Lama of Sindhupalchowk and Dr. Sahara Shrestha of Kathmandu as members of the Naradevi Ayurveda Hospital Development Board on the proposal of the Ministry of Health and Population. Also, the Cabinet meeting appointed Uma Shanker Prasad of Rautahat as member of the National Planning Commission.

The Cabinet meeting has decided that the Nepali Army should immediately provide land for the expansion of Bharatpur Airport in Chitwan and the Civil Aviation Authority will build the broken structure of the Army, provide land to the Nepali Army in Shaktikhor for horse breeding centre and the government will bear the necessary expenses.