It's amazing to read about our efficient government committees educating us on issues that us everyday citizens – in their view – are entirely oblivious to. The best part of it, however, is the manner in which the 'breaking' news is unleashed on the unsuspecting public all of whom are no doubt comatose with shock at the enormity of the revelations.
We will forever be indebted to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, and Nepal Airlines Corporation for bringing these hitherto unknown facts to light. After all, how would normal citizens like us ever know anything about the mismanagement of TIA? It's not as if any of us have ever stepped inside the airport let alone used it to travel outside the country. Pity us philistines who were laboring under the illusion that it was actually up to international standards before the bureaucrats came along and delivered us from our ignorance. We are grateful to them for this timely heads up because it will help us lower our high expectations and avoid disappointment when we walk into the airport.
We, the citizenry, were clueless about the state of TIA's infrastructure because unlike our bureaucrats who feel very strongly about this issue we have never felt the pangs of shame on arriving at the only 'international' airport in Nepal from just about any other airport in this world. It's hard to imagine what we would do without these hard working committee folk and their efforts. I suppose it will also be a huge struggle for us uninformed folks to digest these new 'facts' in the few hours that we spend waiting to claim our luggage – whilst secretly hoping it would never arrive so we won't have to leave this beautiful airport of ours. And in the process of waiting patiently, if nature ever called there is no better place I could think of than the airport toilets to while away my time whilst waiting for my belongings. The banks and forex counters along with the pre-paid taxi operators are also a wonderful addition to the airport because getting hustled in the beautiful confines of our airport surely beats getting swindled outside.
On the subject of our arrival infrastructure, we cannot possibly fail to overlook the sheer delight we experience in waiting at the airport to receive someone. The joy of waiting in the 21st century marvel that is the TIA waiting room is unparalleled and I have yet to meet any Nepalis who doesn't love the wonky steel benches or the stench that only comes from being cheek by jowl with other humans in a confined space. I was actually thinking of visiting on a regular basis so I could enjoy the ambience whilst also getting my occasional celebrity fix of the likes of Sunny Leone and David Beckham. As you can imagine learning of the sub-par facilities really burst my carefully cultivated bubble.
We were also caught unawares on learning about the behaviour of the bureaucratic personnel on duty before our Sherlock's enlightened us on it. This perhaps was the biggest jolt to us and I'm surprised that a lot of people weren't hospitalized because we've never ever had to queue up for ages or deal with the most infuriating, incompetent bureaucrats. We are eternally grateful for their advance warnings because being forewarned is being forearmed and these nuggets of wisdom, are what we obviously pay our taxes for.
We were equally, if not more, shocked to learn of the amounts that we fleece from tourists and normal folk alike in the form of charges and taxes. We had no idea – because we always thought our airport being the beacon of hope that it is would be free from the bureaucratic corruption and mooching that plague the entire administrative system. How naïve of us all?
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our administration for doing the arduous task that would have been quite the uphill struggle for any 14 year old to complete. Above all, we wouldn't know how to repay your kindness for delaying the airport expansion project. I'm quite sure you lovable rogues did it on purpose so that we would get to enjoy our 'period' airport for a few decades more and maintain our proud ranking on the 'Guide to Sleeping in the World's Worst Airports, 2015'. And if ever all this praise were to fly over our bureaucrats' heads they will be in good company because what they do sometimes flies right over ours too.
gunjan.u@gmail.com
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