PM tells stakeholders to speed up plan

KATHMANDU, MAR 27 -

Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai on Monday directed the concerned stakeholders and authorities to expedite the aircraft purchase process for Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC).

According to a press statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), PM Bhattarai directed all the concerned authorities to take the necessary steps to remove the hindrances that have been delaying the procurement process as plans to expand the state-owned carrier’s international fleet have been bogged down in uncertainty.

Discussions in this regard were held at the PMO in the presence of ministers, lawmakers, bureaucrats and NAC officials. Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) Ganesh Raj Joshi said his ministry briefed the premier about the current status of NAC including the tourism sector.

Responding to the MoTCA’s concerns, PM Bhattarai said the government would help to clear the obstacles hindering the planned purchase of aircraft for the national flag carrier. 

Stakeholders at the meeting also discussed legal issues regarding aircraft purchase which is still under the consideration of the Supreme Court. Requesting the Supreme Court to settle the legal issue as soon as possible was also discussed at the meeting.

“Lack of aircraft with NAC has prevented the country from benefiting from the tourism sector, and ultimately the country’s economy is bearing huge losses,” the PM said. The trend of creating controversies over certain issues and moving back to settle them is not justifiable, he added. Recently, the MoTCA had floated a plan to buy Airbus aircraft for NAC by reviving the old procurement process, but the proposal was shot down as the earlier aborted deal is still under consideration of the Supreme Court.

After the Special Court acquitted the officials involved in the Airbus purchase deal, the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had appealed to the Supreme Court against its verdict. Given this context, the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has also redirected the MoTCA to begin a fresh aircraft purchase process stating that the old process had lost its legality.

The latest directive of the parliamentary body was issued to the MoTCA and its line agency NAC on Feb 10. Earlier, on Jan 18, Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Lokendra Bista Magar had informed lawmakers of the International Relations and Human Rights Committee that it was reviving the purchase process after the French Embassy in Nepal dispatched a letter to the Tourism and Foreign ministries that Airbus was positive about striking a deal under the same financial conditions set three years ago.

Subsequently, Minister Magar wrote to PAC asking to discuss the issue with the lawmakers. However, PAC decided otherwise. Another parliamentary body, the International Relations and Human Rights Committee, also discussed the matter and it has given the go-ahead to the ministry. On Feb 10, PAC had summoned the secretaries of the Finance, Law, and Tourism ministries, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Public Procurement Monitoring Office for a meeting.

Source: Kantipur