June 4, 2017
Due to slow paced constructional works, the Gautam Buddha International Airport project is eying second deadline i.e. early 2019. Though there is no any official announcement of project’s deadline extension but the management committee is committed to complete the project by 2019.
The Gautam Buddha International Airport was expected to be completed within 2017 however; circumstances such as shortage of fuel, building materials, sufficient manpower, earthquake and dispute among contractors and workers compelled the project’s completion deadline to be extended to 2018 as 1st deadline extension and now 2019 as second deadline extension.
A Chinese contractor company Northwest Civil Aviation Airport Construction Group had handover all the project responsibility to a Nepali sub-contractor company Northwest Infra Nepal but there arouse a dispute between the two parties after the Chinese company did not dispatch payment to the sub-contractor company.
The Chinese company after expelling the Nepali sub-contractor company started to continue the project by themselves. But they are unable to catch a pace as only 1 percent of work has been completed in a 1.5 months period. The company is in shortage of heavy constructional equipment and sufficient workers.
The project manager of the Chinese company said, “The Company is not dedicated keenly to the project and also has shown incompetency in the construction works which has led the project to confusion.”
Nepal Government announced a budget of Rs13.73 billion for 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. Currently, 28 percent of the project has been completed and the airport project committee has pledged the contractor to work with an effective pace. 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. The committee is also waiting for the performance of the Chinese company before deploying a termination order.
