Tripathi was not the only one in Pokhara to celebrate the signing of agreement between the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) and China CAMC. Hundreds of Pokhara residents were hopeful that this project that was hyped as a national pride project will begin soon. However, the sluggishness seen in its implementation even after 15 months of signing of the contract, have faded away the overjoyed shouts into thin air. Locals now doubt the fate of the 'prosperity dream' that they had seen.
"After the deal was struck, many of us thought that it'll not take long for the project to begin. But all we hear is limited to paper. The progress, as we see it, is limited to papers only," said Tripathi. Time and again, government has accorded top priority to this project however lack of physical activity for implementing the project has left the locals worrying.
A total of 3,106 ropanis of land was acquired by the government four decades ago for building the airport. Necessity of implementing the project at the earliest was felt after it came to the fore, time and again, that the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) alone was not sufficient to handle all international flights. The government was forced to look for TIA's alternative to handle increasing air-traffic congestion at TIA.
The proposed airport will be built on engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) 4D models and will meet the standards of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The 4D model airport, which can accommodate medium category jets like Boeing 757 and Airbus 320, is estimated to cost more than 21 billion rupees. To build the project, the government has agreed to take soft loan from Export Import Bank of China.
The loan deal, however, is yet to finalize and therefore there has been no headway in implementing it, Pradip Adhikari, chief engineer at PRIA said. "The path will be paved only after the government of Nepal and China agrees on a loan deal," said Adhikari, adding that a Chinese team is set to visit Nepal within a week to prepare the agreement papers.
While conceding that the project has been stalled for some time now, Adhikari expressed hope to see headway in the implementation very soon. "Implementation of the project has been obviously delayed. The recent earthquake also complicated the task. But deal for the investment will be reached soon between the two governments. The agreement has been already endorsed by the council of ministers."
Meanwhile, the government has cross checked the budget estimates for the project. A team of experts from Pulchowk Engineering Campus had conducted a study to investigate the costs for constructing the airport following complains from some stakeholders that the construction price was overestimated. The teams report conclusion aligned with the previous estimates.
Meanwhile, Chinese CAMC Engineering Company has completed the flight procedure design and environmental impact assessment (EIA) study for the PRIA. "Lots of necessary paperwork has been completed. As soon as the loan agreement is signed between both nations, construction of the project will begin," Adhikari said expressing hopes that the project will not face much hurdles ahead.
Government data suggests that around 400,000 foreign tourists visits Pokhara annually. Although the catastrophic earthquake affected the flows of tourist this year, the number is expected to increase in the coming years so as to compensate the inability to travel there this year. Hence, the construction of the airport is bound to play a very important role in future tourism sector.
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