Nalinchowk Heliport irregularities: Corruption case filed against six including director general Adhikari

Kathmandu, Dec 3: A corruption charge sheet has been registered against six officials, including Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Pradeep Adhikari and then Director Murari Bhandari. 

The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has registered the charge sheet against, including Director General Adhiakri and then director Bhandari as well as Abhiyanta Consulting Pvt Ltd for allegedly causing  loss to the public properties. 

Drawing a conclusion that there was massive irregularities and breach of legal provisions during the Nalinchowk Heliport construction process, the anti-graft constitutional body filed the corruption case against them, stated a press release issued by the CIAA. 

Director-General Adhikari along with Murari Bhandari, Nal Bikram Thapa, Samriddi Shrestha, Gurudutta Adhiakri and manager of Abhiyantra Consulting Pvt. Ltd Bijaya Thapa have faced corruption charge as per the Corruption Act. 

The charge sheet alleges that corruption occurred by breaching regulations at every stage from the selection of consultants to the preparation of the study report, causing a loss amounting to Rs 135.7 million. 

According to the commission, the process for constructing the heliport was maliciously advanced without conducting the mandatory feasibility study, technical and financial proposals were requested without legal approval, inexperienced consultant firms were collusively selected, and the procurement process was carried out without fully preparing a detailed project report. 

It is alleged that Engineer Samriddhi Shrestha and former Director Murari Bhandari, after approving the heliport feasibility study, entered the process of procuring consultancy services by preparing a cost estimate without conducting an actual study. 

The commission stated that the construction process was advanced without obtaining the 'specifications,' plans, design, procurement master plan, annual procurement plan, and budget approval as required by the Public Procurement Act and Regulations. (RSS)