Modernization of TIA ongoing as per master plan: Minister Bhattarai

(Narayan Neupane)

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Kumar Bhattarai has said the modernization of the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) was taking place as planned in the master plan.

At a meeting of the federal parliament’s International Relations Committee, Minister Bhattarai said that reconstruction of the existing runway and taxiway were completed under the civil aviation capacity building project. "The works of terminal building and runway expansion are taking place. Development of parking lot in the international airport has reached in the final phase. Some more parking lots have been expanded," Bhattarai said.

Stating that most of the jobs to make TIA a boutique airport were completed as planned, he said that a target was set to finish the remaining tasks in six months. On the occasion, he admitted that some difficulties were surfaced to collect rent from the shops, lounges and restaurants in the airport premises despite the frequent calls from the officials.

Likewise, Minister Bhattarai came up with the idea that there was no possibility to construct yet another international airport in Kathmandu Valley given its geographical sensitivity. Informing that 90 percent of the construction of Gautam Buddha International Airport was over, Bhattarai however expressed doubt over the timely completion of the project because of human resources crisis and some other issues due to Covid-19 outbreak.

Slew of irregularities were reported in the hotels under the Tara Gaun Development Committee, according to him.