Runway blacktopping project of Gautam Buddha International Airport has commenced from today (October 30). The national pride project initiated the process to blacktop the runway as expected with Honorable tourism Minister (MoCTCA) inaugurating the blacktopping work.
On the presence of honorable minister along with other delegates and Chinese team, the blacktopping process was initiated. Minister inaugurated the work by pouring asphalts over runway.
According to project officials, 750 metric tons of asphalt have been imported from outside Nepal for blacktopping work and the team of workers and technicians from China have commenced the work.
The commencement of the blacktopping project was tweeted by minister as well as from MoCTCA which also states that the blacktopping work will be completed within 6 months and by August of 2019, all construction work of the airport will be completed and will come into operation.
The runway of the airport will be 3,000 meters long. The Construction work of terminal buildings, water tanks, and control towers, among other infrastructures, are also underway of construction.
The Chinese Construction Company Northwest Civil Aviation Airport Construction has changed the management and carried out work in full swing. Nepalese workers are constructing the international terminal buildings, runway, administrative buildings, and firefighting buildings. The Chinese technical team has been operating roller, other equipment & machines. As many as 15 Chinese and 200 Nepalese workers have been used for the construction of the airport.
The project was awarded to China’s Northwest Civil Aviation Airport Construction Group in November 2013 for Rs. 6.22 arba and was expected to be completed by end of 2017 but due to shortages of fuel and building materials and due to the months-long Terai closure in 2015 delayed the works by six months along with dispute between the Chinese contractor and the Nepali sub-contractor, Northwest Infra Nepal, and its operation deadline was revised to June 2018 and now to 2019.
