Surkhet, October 28
The Karnali provincial government has allocated Rs 6 million to operate air services in the province’s Himalayan districts, but the process of ensuring regular flights has yet to be finalised.
As the provincial government prepares to formulate and implement procedures for operating the service, it has intensified discussions with the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) and the federal government.
Karnali Chief Minister Mangal Bahadur Shahi is holding discussions with various federal government agencies on the issue on Wednesday.
To advance the initiative, Karnali government spokesperson and Minister for Industry, Tourism, Forests and Environment Kalyani Khadka has held talks with Federal Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Khadkaraj Poudel. Khadka said the discussions on operating and expanding flights to Karnali’s Himalayan districts were positive.
The chief minister is scheduled to hold discussions with various federal agencies at 11 am on Wednesday regarding the operation of air services in the province’s Himalayan districts.
Although the provincial government has allocated a budget and initiated the process of formulating procedures, coordination with the federal government and the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal remains crucial to ensuring regular flights.
The provincial government has allocated Rs 6 million in the current fiscal year to subsidise air services from Surkhet to Humla, Mugu, Dolpa, Jumla and Kalikot. However, repeated attempts to operate regular flights from Surkhet to the Himalayan districts have failed, with services often being discontinued after a short period due to a lack of passengers and operating losses.
Alongside air services, Minister Khadka has also held discussions with other federal ministers on the overall development of Karnali.
In a meeting with Sita Badi, Minister for Women, Children, Gender and Sexual Minorities, and Social Security, discussions focused on improving children’s health in Karnali, developing self-reliance programmes to improve women’s living standards, and protecting the rights of gender and sexual minority communities.
Similarly, Khadka said she discussed with Nisha Mehta, Minister for Health and Food Hygiene, the provision of necessary equipment to deliver quality and affordable healthcare at all 10 district hospitals in Karnali. The discussions also covered expanding cardiac and neurological treatment services at Karnali Provincial Hospital and promoting the consumption of safe food.
In a meeting with Geeta Chaudhary, Minister for Agriculture, Forests and Environment, discussions focused on scientific improvements in agriculture, the production and marketing of indigenous crops, sustainable forest management and controlling forest encroachment.
Khadka said federal ministers had responded positively to Karnali’s development agenda and expressed gratitude to them for making time for the discussions.
Ensuring regular air services remains a major challenge
Air services are an important means of transportation in Karnali’s Himalayan districts, including Humla, Mugu and Dolpa, where difficult terrain and limited road access make travel challenging.
The lack of regular flights makes it difficult for residents to travel when necessary. It also creates problems in transporting patients for treatment and delivering essential supplies.
Although the provincial government has allocated subsidies to make air services from Surkhet to the Himalayan districts more regular, several issues remain unresolved, including approval of the operating procedures, the flight operation framework and measures to ensure service continuity.
Since services have been discontinued in the past due to insufficient passengers and high operating costs, another challenge is to ensure that flights remain regular and financially sustainable this time.
The discussions with various federal agencies scheduled for Wednesday are expected to produce concrete conclusions on flight operations and coordination between the federal and provincial governments. However, the benefits residents of the Himalayan districts will receive from the air services will become clear only after decisions and an implementation timeline are made public.
