SANGAM

FY to see 2nd int’l airport birth


SANGAM PRASAIN
KATHMANDU, JUL 26 -
Construction of the country's second international airport is among the projects the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) has planned for the current fiscal year 2010-11. Eight new projects have been proposed in addition to the projects carried over from the last fiscal.

Implementing leave tourism (paid leave), setting up a new radar at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), expanding tourism areas and implementing the Tourism Satellite Account are among the new projects that will be started this fiscal year.

Similarly, integrated lake conservation project, special Mt. Everest cleaning mission and converting Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) into a company are its other plans. All these projects have been assessed in the last fiscal year and will be accomplished in the current fiscal, MoTCA said Monday while discussing its annual progress report and new programmes at the parliamentary International Relation and Human Rights Committee.

In a bid to boost domestic tourism and the morale of civil servants, MoTCA has proposed the paid leave tourism concept. A task force has identified potential vacation spots in different parts of the country.

MoTCA has also planned to install a new radar system considering the increase in air traffic at the country's only international airport.

"TIA, which was designed to handle 1,300 passengers per hour, sometimes has to process over 2,000 passengers," said MoTCA secretary Kishore Thapa.

MoTCA has proposed expanding tourist areas to Ilam in the east and Baitadi in the west. Kathmandu, Pokhara, Lumbini, Chitwan and Lukla are the only designated tourist spots presently.

The Tourism Satellite Account will calculate separate credible and comprehensive measurements of tourism value from tourism activities and provide concrete data of tourism contribution to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Under the integrated lake conservation project, the ministry will conserve the country's lakes making them a significant product to attract tourists.

The feasibility study for the country's second international airport at Nijgadh will be concluded after seven months. "We are planning to start construction after the study is completed," Thapa said. The contract to do the feasibility study was awarded to LMW, Korea last year. Converting Nepal Airlines Corporation into a company will also be initiated in the current fiscal year.

The ministry is working on the procedures from the last fiscal year. Likewise, MoTCA has proposed opening new peaks for commercial expeditions.

The ministry will also revise the air service agreements (ASAs) signed with European, Middle Eastern and Asia Pacific countries. Nepal currently has ASAs with 35 countries.

Tourism infrastructure development, attracting one million tourists during Nepal Tourism Year 2011 and upgrading the international airport and regional airports are among the projects being carried over from the last fiscal.

The National Planning Commission has a budget ceiling of Rs. 818.7 million (excluding the budget for NTY 2011) for MoTCA for the current fiscal year.