[Archive] So the airline is always in question

The irregularity in the purchase of the Shanewani ship, which has been in loss for three decades, has drawn attention from the Audit Committee to the authority

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[Archive] So the airline is always in question

What you should know

Shahi Nepal Air Service Corporation means Air Service Corporation after the republic. The corporation management, which is fully owned by the government, has always been drawn into irregularities and disputes. Let's not talk about making profit, the history of the corporation in the last 32 years is not pleasant.

Not only at that time, even now, the topic of widebody procurement process and payment of money has reached from the Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives to the constitutional body authority . The names of high-level political and administrative persons including the Prime Minister, Minister, and Secretary have been mentioned in the aircraft procurement process. The history of the corporation says, "Ticket selling agents are rich, ship buying companies are always in trouble." 

is not only now, but since the 50s, the corporation's ship operation, purchase and ticket sales have been on the agenda of the audit committee . In 2051 Baisakh, the subject of loss-making ships in European countries was admitted to the Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament. At that time, the subject of the corporation's European flights operating at a loss received a lot of discussion .

2051 At the audit committee meeting on 13th Baisakh, the then managing director of the corporation, Pradeepraj Pandey, said that he had never made a profit from flying to Europe, and said that he continued the flight only in the hope of helping with administrative expenses. In the report prepared by the sub-committee formed by the Audit Committee to examine the efficiency of the corporation, it was mentioned that there is an annual loss of 561.6 million. In the

report, it was mentioned that the corporation is losing due to high fare charges, high commission to ticket agents and low number of passengers. Subcommittee Coordinator Dr. Prakashchand Lohani said that every flight is losing money. In the previous day's meeting, the members of the committee criticized the agreement that the corporation would give a commission of up to 27 percent to Fair Company appointed as a general ticket selling agent (GSA). Kuber Sharma, a member of the

[Archive] So the airline is always in question

committee, questioned why they took a 230-seat Airbus instead of a 190-seat Boeing after only 70 percent of the tickets were sold. Manager Pandey told the committee meeting that he had to pay 3,350 US dollars per flight hour before, but now that his own technicians have started operating it, he will pay only 2,470 US dollars. 

Dinesh Dhamija, appointed GSA for the European region, was criticized by MPs in the committee for making Shanewani his regional director. Sub-committee coordinator Lohani showed the matter written on Shanewani's letterpad in the meeting and said that a person named Herman Miller appointed manager by Dhamija and made another manager in Germany .

In the previous day's meeting, Manager Pandey said that Dhamija will not be allowed to hire any employees. Even the leaders of the ruling party protested by appointing Shanewanima and giving them the right to do random things abroad. According to the previous year's agreement, the MP protested in the Accounts Committee that Dhamija was given the right to negotiate with immigration, air office, customs etc. in foreign countries. 

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala was also opposed to giving GSA to Dhamija. The issue of misuse of power and financial irregularities by Koirala to give GSA to Dhamija was being raised . The matter was also being discussed in the committee. The matter was discussed as 'Dhamija scandal'. 

  Hari Prasad Nepal, a member of the sub-committee, protested saying that a foreign company was given the right to represent the country. At that time, information was requested on the basis of which 137 employees of Shanewani were retired.

Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Ramhari Joshi informed that employees were recruited unnecessarily and because it caused financial burden, the employees were removed . Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Purushottam Bhattarai informed that the case of retired employees is pending in the court.

The discussion held in the audit committee regarding the internal management of air services, the losses incurred by the Airline Corporation, the employees, etc., was published by Kantipur Daily on 14 Baisakh 2051 under the title of annual loss of 56 crores, prepared by journalist Narayan Wagle.

Shanewani, which has been running in Ghataighat since then, is still running at a loss after 32 years. At that time, Shanewani's ship used to operate all domestic flights, but now it is not the case. The issue of irregularities in the purchase of ships has been brought to the authority through the Audit Committee. 

This problem has been the same for three decades. The owner of the ship Shanewani is in loss, but the ticket sales and the employees are financially successful. The situation is the same yesterday and today.

presentation: Rishiram Paudyal

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