Nepal Civil Aviation Authority Bill tabled in HoR

KATHMANDU: Today’s meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR) unanimously passed the proposal tabled in the HoR seeking consideration to the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority Bill, 2081.

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey tabled the proposal in the HoR.

Taking part in the theoretical discussions of the proposal, HoR Member Prem Bahadur Ale said that the sorry state of the Pokhara International Airport is the result of an individual discharging the duty of both regulator and service provider.

Lawmaker Nagina Yadav said that mere formulation of the Act was not sufficient and added that the laws should be implemented in the right manner.

Similarly, lawmaker Biraj Bhakta Shrestha argued that Nijgadh airport should not be built until the final probe reports of the Pokhara International Airport and Gautam Buddha International Airport were released.

Shrestha added that the issues of aviation safety should be addressed in the bill.

Lawmaker Hitraj Pandey said that the activities of the Civil Aviation Training Academy should be reviewed based on its performance.

Lawmakers Sushila Thing and Sobita Gautam voiced for two separate entities for regulatory body and service providing agency in the aviation field.

Likewise, lawmaker Sudan Kirati said that the technical issues relating to the Nijgadh airport should be corrected before initiating the construction works.

Several lawmakers also raised the issue of the Saurya Airlines plane crash that happened some nine months ago.

Lawmakers Yogesh Kumar Bhattarai, Rajendra Bajgain, Rupa Joshi Chaudhary, Lekhnath Dahal, Bijula Rayamajhi, Gyanu Basnet Subedi and Bindhyabasini Kansakar also shared their views stating that the bill should be revised to ensure reforms in the country’s civil aviation industry.