KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) has decided to seek support from the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) to expedite construction activities of the Nijgadh International Airport in Bara.
An official at MoCTCA, seeking anonymity, informed that plans were afoot to knock on the doors of the OPMCM following the failure to get an approval from the Ministry of Forests and Environment to clear a forest area for the construction of the airport project.
As per sources, MoCTCA will also raise its concerns over the delay in receiving the permit from the Forest Ministry during the next meeting of the National Development Problems Solution Committee under the National Planning Commission, which is chaired by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
It has to be noted that the MoCTCA had made a request to the Forest Ministry seeking permission for forest clearance around two years back. As per the initial study, approximately 300,000 trees need to be cut down to clear the way to begin preliminary construction works for the ambitious project.
The government has shortlisted Zürich Airport International AG to construct the Nijgadh International Airport.
The estimated cost of the project stands at Rs 340 billion ($3 billion). The airport will be built in three phases — the first phase will cost $1.21 billion, the second phase $1.12 billion, and the third phase $1.12 billion. The Nijgadh International Airport is expected to be the major aerial gateway of the country after Kathmandu, Pokhara and Bhairahawa airports.