KATHMANDU, Nov 21: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) is resuming operation of duty-free shops at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) after their closure for the past one and a half decades.

In this regard, the CAAN on Monday called for tender inviting interested firms to operate the duty free shops. As per the notice, a total of 26.11 square meter area on the first floor and 75.8 square meter area near immigration unit will be permitted for operation of duty-free shops.

The interested firms have been asked for bidding within 30 days while the selected firms will be given contracts for the next five years to operate their outlets. Jagannath Niroula, spokesperson of the CAAN, said the authority has sought to increase its revenue through the operation of duty-free shops.

In July, the Ministry of Tourism through enforcing a 73-point work plan announced to operate duty-free shops at the TIA. According to the CAAN, handicrafts and domestically produced liquors, among others, will be sold from the duty-free shops.  

In 2008, the then Finance Minister Baburam Bhattarai had closed the decades-old duty-free shop run by National Trading Ltd, a government undertaking. The duty-free shop was closed down abruptly citing the heavy loss that the public enterprise had been facing.

 
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