Government has set up a high level committee under Tourism Minister (MoCTCA) Rabindra Adhikari for smooth and easy construction of Nijgadh Airport in Bara district. This airport is set to be the second international airport of the country.
Minister level meeting held on Tuesday formed the committee to solve the problem related to land acquisition, deforestation and other environmental impact that may arise during the construction of the airport said Government spokesperson Gokul Baskota.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the airport in nijgadh has already been made and after the Ministry of Forests and Environment accept the EIA, the work of deforestation will be conducted by the Nepal Army for the construction of the airport.
Likewise, problem related to land acquisition had already been solved but after now new pressure and problem has risen for the new settlement and the government said it will work on the problem through the committee.
Government is also preparing to finalize the construction of the proposed second international airport, Nijgadh International Airport in Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. The air security department from Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has suggested that the construction project of airport is only possible in PPP model.
Previously, Ministry of Finance had advised to adopt Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model rather than Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Finance (EPCF) model for Nijgadh International Airport. Though the construction project was proposed since long time, the issue of choosing the model had not been decided yet.
Similarly, government has decided to accept the Detailed Project Report (DPR) made by the Korean company Landmark Worldwide Company (LMW) but the dispute is still on over monetary problem. Initially the contract over the report was around 32 crore but due to ignorance by the government the company is now asking for 72 crore.
Government is preparing to finalize the construction of the proposed second international airport, Nijgadh International Airport in Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. There will be 6 boarding gates along with 34 check in counters, 6 security checks 34 inspections and 8 custom checks counters in airport terminal which can welcome 6 million passengers annually. According to a Korean company’s feasibility study, the Nijgadh airport will be able to handle 15 million passengers annually and accommodate the Airbus A380 super jumbo after the first phase of construction.
