Despite scheduled to be completed by 2019, the construction of Gautam Buddha International Airport still lacks pace as the Chinese Contractor Company Northwest Civil Aviation Airport Construction Group has not even completed the 40 percent of the project.
Till date, the project must have been completed by 50 percent, however; only 30 percent of progress is obtained. First of all, the contractor company could not deliver sheer dedication towards the work. Likewise, rainy season and election period also obstructed the construction works to some extent.
Previously, the Chinese contractor company Northwest Civil Aviation Airport Construction Group had handed over all the project responsibility to a Nepali sub-contractor company Northwest Infra Nepal but there arose a dispute between the two parties after the Chinese company did not dispatch payment to the subcontractor company. The construction was affected badly by the dispute.
The airport project committee believes the project can be completed if 6 percent work can be accomplished in a month but for that, the pace of the work must be expedited.
Currently, the construction of airport’s terminal building is going on. Also, the gravelling of runway and construction of parking area has also initiated for which 135 workers are being deployed.
Nepal Government announced a budget of Rs13.73 billion for the fiscal year 2017-18 to complete the construction project of three international airports around the country namely Pokhara Regional International Airport, Gautam Buddha Regional International Airport and Nijgadh International Airport. According to the Finance Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara, the Gautam Buddha International airport project would be completed by 2019.
The Gautam Buddha International Airport is expected to be completed with the estimated budget of Rs6.22 billion. The airport project manager has requested the company to increase the workforce and excel the construction works as the company has already received 40, 000 cubic meters of river materials.
