SURKHET, April 5: Chief Minister (CM) Jeevan Bahadur Shahi has said that the provincial government has not abandoned the idea of upgrading the Surkhet Airport. Stating that the development of Karnali Province is not possible without air connectivity, he said that the provincial government is ready for the upgradation of the airport in the province’s capital. 

“Preparations are underway to bring an 80-seater airline in the province,” CM Shahi said, while answering queries raised by the main opposition party CPN-UML at the provincial assembly meeting today. “The provincial government is making efforts to connect the region to the Himalayan as well as the hilly districts,” he added.  

CM Shahi said that the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) had submitted a report stating that it would take eight years to upgrade the existing airport in Surkhet and that there is a need to acquire an additional 23 bighas of land. “The cost for the upgradation of the airport has been estimated at Rs 8 billion as per the report submitted by CAAN. We are also looking for alternatives as there is a possibility of building a new airport with this much money," CM Shahi added.

At the meeting, the CPN-UML lawmaker Yamlal Kandel questioned the government regarding the upgradation of the airport and the works being carried out by the government.

 
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