INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, JUNE 27Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation Sudan Kirati has
sent a nine-point letter to Director General of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal Pradeep Adhikari seeking clarification over his
contradictory statements regarding the government's decision to split CAAN into two separate bodies as announced in the policies and
programmes for the upcoming fiscal year on May 29, among other issues.
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Stating that the DG's
action is against the provisions of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, Staff Service Conditions and Facilities Regulations 1999, the
minister sought Adhikari's explanation.Similarly, stating his concerns about the accident of two domestic aircraft and three helicopters
during Adhikari's tenure as director general of CAAN, Minister Kirati raised questions on the effectiveness of duties and responsibilities
undertaken by DG Adhikari.
Moreover, stating that the authority was facing challenges in operating regular flights at
Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa and Pokhara Regional International Airport, which were constructed by taking foreign
loans, Minister Kirati has questioned the strength of Adhikari's performance as the authority responsible for airport operations.The letter
also seeks a detailed explanation from the director general as to why he allowed five flights to PRIA on 1 January 2023, even though the
time for the last landing visual flight rules (VFR) had been exceeded, among other pressing issues.A version of this article appears in the
print on June 28, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com