Bharatpur Airport authorities directed to improve cleanliness and facilities

CHITWAN: The district administration has directed the concerned authorities to improve cleanliness and management at Bharatpur Airport following complaints about unhygienic toilets, irregular cleaning and inadequate beautification of the airport premises.

The monitoring was carried out after members of the public raised concerns about the poor condition of the airport’s facilities.

Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Sobita Gautam, who is also a member of the House of Representatives elected from Chitwan Constituency-3, drew the attention of Chief District Officer Ganesh Aryal to the issue after receiving complaints.

According to Aryal, he and Minister Gautam jointly inspected the airport premises following repeated complaints from passengers and other members of the public.

During the inspection, shortcomings were identified in sanitation, overall management and infrastructure maintenance. Airport Chief Deepak BK was instructed to take immediate steps to address the problems, Aryal said.

“The airport premises need to be improved. We conducted the inspection with the minister and have committed to addressing the issues,” Aryal said.

He added that the inspection revealed several problems related to infrastructure, cleanliness and staff presence at the airport.

Parking management and other operational issues have also been recurring concerns at the airport. Aryal said that BK had not attended meetings of district office chiefs since Aryal arrived in Chitwan 15 months ago, making it difficult to discuss the airport’s problems and possible solutions.

Following the growing number of complaints, the district administration and the minister decided to inspect the premises and direct the concerned authorities to make improvements.

Buddha Air currently operates seven daily flights between Bharatpur and Kathmandu, carrying approximately 800 passengers a day. Passengers have repeatedly complained about unpleasant odours from the toilets in the waiting area, including after completing boarding procedures.

Airport Chief BK acknowledged that there were shortcomings in cleanliness and management and said he had committed to addressing them. He added that corrective measures were being taken following the inspection.

BK also cited road obstructions and increased passenger traffic as challenges affecting airport operations.