Kailali – When the construction work of Majhgaon Airport in Kanchanpur, which has been closed for almost two decades, started, there was excitement among the locals, but now the work of the airport has come to a standstill. On the 27th of Paush 2078, the then Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Prem Bahadur, laid the foundation stone of the airport. While laying the foundation stone, the minister also instructed the construction company to complete the work on time.
For the construction of the airport, the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority awarded a contract to KS Kancharam Construction for 456 million 6624 thousand rupees. The construction company, which worked only 5 months after the agreement, has now become out of touch. The airport has turned into a cowshed again.
Ramesh Chand, coordinator of Majhgaon Airport Re-Operation Committee, accused the leaders of making empty speeches saying that the airport should be restarted, and said that no one paid any attention when he informed that the construction was at a standstill. Stating that the contractor of the construction company said that they would start the work after the rains, but they have not come yet, the coordinator of Majhgaon Airport Re-Operation Committee Chand said that the construction materials and vehicles brought for the construction of the airport are still at the airport.
Businessmen here have also expressed their concern and concern that after the airport will resume operations, the hope of having a direct connection with the center (Kathmandu) along with the tourism business here has turned into disappointment.
Hotel and tourism businessman Parmanand Bhandari said that the efforts to connect the tourists coming to visit the tourist places such as Shuklaphanta Wildlife Sanctuary, Jholungepool connecting Dodharachandni directly by air service are not failing. He said that now tourists are coming to Dhangadhi Airport and the cost of bringing them from there to here will increase with time, so tourists are reluctant to come.
Meenraj Ojha, the project manager of the Mahendranagar Airport project, said that the work has been stopped since June and said that the construction company has informed that the work will start after the elections. He said that in response to the letter written to the construction company about the stoppage of work, the construction company informed about the same.
Ojha, the project manager of the Mahendranagar Airport project, said that the airport currently has a land of 1,525 meters in length, and to make it 1,800 meters, the forest area of ​​Shuklaphanta is needed.
It is said that due to the fact that the proprietor Purna Bahadur Tamang (Kancharam) in the construction company Kancharam Construction is currently in the election field, the work is not moving forward. After Tamang entered the election field as a Nepali Congress candidate from Ramechhap as a member of the House of Representatives, the airport work could not be accelerated. He is also the Chairman of Congress Ramechhap.
When I tried to contact Tamang by phone to get information about the work stoppage, his phone did not pick up. The airport, which operated regularly from 2030 to 2056, has been closed ever since.
