Kathmandu, September 14
After the Nepal government warned that it would terminate the contract if the Northwest Civil Aviation Company did not improve the performance, the Chinese company has decided to bring in the new management team to supervise construction works at the proposed Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa of Rupandehi district.
Chief of the Airport Project, Om Sharma, says the Chinese company is changing the team of managers and experts. The company has already recalled the manager who was leading the project here on the charge of failing to meet expectations and expedite construction works.
In early August, the government had served a two-month ultimatum to improve the performance, with a warning of terminating the contract upon failure to heed the ultimatum.
However, the work progress is still snail-paced. So far only 30 per cent works have been done and the company is likely to be unable to meet the deadline of July 2018 to promote the existing domestic airport to the status of an international airport.
Currently, construction of runway and terminal is underway.
Sharma, however, hopes that almost 80 per cent works will be over in next eight months if the Chinese company is honest in its work. Whereas around 175 personnel have been employed now, the number of personnel should be increased, he suggests.
