Tourism Ministry urges Pressure Group of Pokhara to withdraw protest

Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) has urged the pressure group demanding construction of international airport in Pokhara to withdraw their protest programmes saying that it would spread negative message of Nepal among the international community.

Issuing a statement on Thursday, the Ministry also praised the adherence of the stakeholders for the construction of international airport in Pokhara, a famous tourism hub in Nepal.

Ministry also informed that a government delegation led by Ministry’s secretary Yajna Prasad Gautam on Wednesday left for China to resolve the legal hurdles regarding the construction.

The pressure group comprising locals and representatives from various political parties and civil society have been staging various forms of protest and even obstructing domestic flights in Pokhara exerting pressure on government to construct international airport.

The project has been delayed after the project cost went up to US$ 305 (Rs. 27 billion) as per the estimation of lowest bidder, a Chinese company, while the government had estimated the project cost at around US$ 180 million (Rs. 16 billion).
Earlier, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal had said that the estimated budget was very high and that it was unable to put in such a huge amount for the project. nepalnews.com