Kathmandu, May 12
The ongoing construction of the Gautam Buddha International Airport, which was expected to begin its operation within this year as claimed by the government, has stopped, apparently due to the government’s negligence.
The contractor, Northwest United, stopped ongoing works at the project site in Bhairahawa, near the birthplace of Lord Buddha, on Sunday. The company has claimed that it has not received a pay for the already accomplished tasks, adding it cannot resume operation in the situation.
The company has said it had been pushing the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation for the timely pay. However, the ministry has not forwarded the files related to the pending payments to the donor, Asian Development Bank.
“If they want, the Finance Secretary and the Tourism Secretary can resolve the issue in one minute,” a source informs, “But, the government does not seem responsible about the project these days.”
Likewise, the contractor has complained of obstructions in the delivery of construction materials including sand and aggregates, mainly due to objections of local governments of the places supplying these materials.
