If Nepal’s tourism ministry continues as it has, it seems that ministers aren’t buying planes; rather, planes are buying ministers. Looking back at tourism ministers from 1991 to today, it’s clear: planes often buy ministers.
I know all of them, from Ramhari Joshi to the current minister, including Mohammad Mohsin and Deepak Bohara. The billion-dollar scandal likely originated in this ministry.
Now, Badri Pandey, the current tourism minister, is working hard to bring about new changes. He got 80 percent in the work agreement from the Prime Minister. But how did this happen?
Two of Nepal’s three international airports are still non-operational, and we’re paying nearly one billion rupees annually to service the loan for Pokhara Airport, which generates less than 250 million rupees in income.
Meanwhile, two planes in the fleet, a narrow-bodied and a wide-bodied one, are both grounded. It’s purely by coincidence that the one plane that flew in both directions was taken to Bhairahawa.
On the domestic front, Nepal Airlines’ two planes are also idle and in no condition to fly. Thank goodness for private airlines, which are at least bringing some tourists into the country.
The government, however, seems stuck in a vacuum, with each minister claiming they’ve done this or that, but no real progress.
The Tourism Minister was supposed to introduce the Civil Aviation Authority dissolution bill in Parliament, but I insisted that the minister be present during the Business Advisory Committee meeting.
Even when the minister arrived in Kathmandu on Thursday from abroad, there were still delays. It has become almost customary to make promises that are never fulfilled.
We’ve failed to make Nepal Airlines operational, and now we’re left discussing new proposals. Currently, Nepal Airlines is still facing an annual loss of around 48 to 50 billion rupees.
We need to appoint the right people in key positions, and breaking up institutions or creating more authorities won’t solve the problem. I’m not in favor of creating multiple agencies; we can do this with one, but there’s a conflict of interest, and no one has taken any real action on this.
We’re still on the European Union’s blacklist, while the tourism minister has received an award for being the best in the world. I fail to understand how that’s possible.
I would have been proud if Ram Sharan Mahat had received such recognition, as he managed to bring in over 7 trillion rupees after the earthquake. That’s the kind of leadership we need.
We need to bring European tourists to Nepal, and although Thailand sends many visitors to Lumbini, we haven’t even managed to get a plane from Thailand to Lumbini.
At the airport, it’s a struggle even for our own citizens to fly. The system here is dysfunctional—ruling parties and the opposition squabble, each criticizing the other without ever achieving anything productive.
The aircraft that cost 8 trillion rupees are now being sold at bargain prices, but they won’t fetch even 50 million. If this policy decision had been made in another country, the responsible people would likely face severe consequences.
This constant political division prevents any real progress, and the public is left hearing only negative criticism without a fair understanding of what’s truly happening. Our leadership continues down this path, unable to unite for the country’s betterment.
Instead, let’s focus on creating a law. Breaking up the Authority would not improve the organization, boost tourism in Nepal, foster an investment-friendly environment, and potentially resolve many of the current issues.
I doubt that two more large planes would have arrived, or that all the planes stuck here would have been fixed.
Looking at the bigger picture, didn’t we bring the MY-12 and M-16 aircraft worth nearly 8 trillion rupees? What was the actual benefit of these planes?
We had to bring in pilots from the country of origin, as no one else was qualified to fly them. We wouldn’t even know how to operate them ourselves. On flights to Biratnagar, for example, we would take 20 passengers, but only 16 would return because of our inability to manage the operations.
The aircraft that cost 8 trillion rupees are now being sold at bargain prices, but they won’t fetch even 50 million. If this policy decision had been made in another country, the responsible people would likely face severe consequences.
Is it acceptable to make such decisions? Are we really going to repeat this mistake?
I am a member of the ruling party, and I respect my friend, who is the minister. However, I believe that dividing the authority is unnecessary. As the Chairman of the State Affairs Committee, I must publicly express my disagreement. I don’t see the need for this division.
Who exactly is this division meant for? Is it because the managing director or executive director failed to perform their duties? If that’s the case, we should address it directly. There’s no need to resort to dividing the authority.
Nepal has 55 airports. However, our tourism sector is mainly concentrated in Lukla, and there are problems even in that area.
Airlines are often treated like milk cows, but they are never given any resources. They open the trough and expect milk, but only blood comes out due to neglect. Nepal’s tourism industry should not follow the same path. Best wishes for a better future.
Flights must be routed through Ramechhap, but the airport there has its own issues. In Rumjatar, there isn’t even enough space for planes. The situation has reached a point where it’s no longer viable.
We are focusing on things that don’t need to be done while neglecting what should be done.
This leads to public disappointment and wasted efforts. At times like this, ministers may resort to imposing VAT to gain popularity, as we’ve seen with the news of the 70 billion rupees.
I am also familiar with people who have served as MDs of the Nepali flag carrier for a long time. I know the type of people they are. Some of them have impressive titles, like Adhikari or Yuvraj, but ultimately, the “Maharaj Yuvraj” of Nepal Airlines has been responsible for ruining everything. Personally, I have no issues, but I wish they had done their job properly.
Airlines are often treated like milk cows, but they are never given any resources. They open the trough and expect milk, but only blood comes out due to neglect. Nepal’s tourism industry should not follow the same path. Best wishes for a better future.
(Thoughts shared by Ramhari Khatiwada, Chairman of the State Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives, at an interaction organized by the Institute for Strategic and Socio-Economic Research ‘ISSR’ on Friday at Durbar Marg)
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