Concrete decision will be made to construct Nijgadh Airport

KATHMANDU, Sep 20:Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has stated that the Council of Ministers will make a firm decision on whether or not to proceed with the development of Nijgadh International Airport. According to the report with expert opinions provided to the Council of Ministers for consideration about a year ago, the government has yet to make a decision.

He stated that a definitive decision to proceed with the construction of this airport, which has been advanced as the second international airport, will be made at the meeting of the Council of Ministers based on the expert group's recommendations.

He stated this while speaking at the opening session of the Civil Aviation Authority's building in Sinamangal, Kathmandu. On 29 July 2079, the government organized an expert panel for further investigation after the Supreme Court announced the entire text of its verdict that a second international airport can be developed in Nijgadh.

On October 2, the same year, a 10-member expert group coordinated by former CAAN director general Birendra Deuja submitted a report to then-Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. CAAN spokesperson Jagannath Niraula stated that the administration has not made a decision on the expert group's findings. "Though no decision has been made on the report, preliminary work is being done," Niraula explained.

He states that compensation for 20 bighas of land at this airport has yet to be paid. He informed me that work on the Basah and Bakia river embankments is also ongoing. The Supreme Court heard arguments about whether or not to continue operating this airport, which was studied three decades ago. Stakeholders have been urging the government not to build an airport near Nijgadh, claiming that the environmental harm would be severe. They petitioned the Supreme Court to prevent the construction of an airport at that location.

On June 15, 2079, the Supreme Court announced the entire verdict of its decision that an international airport could be built in Nijgadh, Bara. The Council of Ministers constituted the panel after the Supreme Court ruled that an airport may be built in Nijgadh.