According to Jayanarayan Acharya, spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, as per a ministerial decision, Karna, Deputy Director General of the Authority, has been given the responsibility of Director General.
The responsibility of the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has been given to Deputy Director General Devchandra Lal Karna.
According to Jayanarayan Acharya, spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, as per the ministerial decision, Karna, Deputy Director General of the Authority, has been given the responsibility of Director General. Tourism Secretary Mukunda Niraula also said that Karna has been given the responsibility with all the powers exercised by the Director General.
The then Director General Pradeep Adhikari was suspended after the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority filed a case in a special court on 17 Mangs, alleging corruption in the construction of the Nalinchowk Helipad in Bhaktapur and the Pokhara Regional International Airport. As there is no legal way to appoint a new Director General in place of the currently suspended Adhikari, Tourism Minister Anil Sinha has appointed Deputy Director General Karna as the Acting Director General as per the ministerial decision.
According to Minister Sinha, the arrangement assigned to Karna is not permanent but only temporary. Earlier, the responsibility given to the Ministry's Joint Secretary Mukesh Dangol was in an 'acting' capacity and the work of Director General was only an additional responsibility for Dangol. Now Dangol has returned to the work of the Ministry only.
Earlier, after the suspension of the then Director General Pradeep Adhikari, Prime Minister Sushila Karki had given the responsibility of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal to Joint Secretary Mukesh Dangol on 19th Mangsir. Dangol was given the responsibility of looking after the authority from the ministry until further notice.
Prime Minister Karki had sent Anil Sinha to also look after the Ministry of Tourism on 28th Mangsir. After Joint Secretary Dangol returned to the ministry on Friday, Deputy Director General Karna was appointed as the acting Director General.
According to the Authority's joint spokesperson Gyanendra Bhul, Karna has assumed office from Friday.
