MPs demand to make Aviation Authority responsible

The MPs of the ruling party are of the opinion that in order to end the trend of frequent air accidents but the authorities do not take responsibility for them, investigation committees are formed after each incident but the report is not made public.

Air Dynasty Nine N-AJD callsign helicopter flying from Kathmandu to Syafrubansi crashed in Shivpuri Rural Municipality-7 Suryachaur of Nuwakot, in the emergency meeting of the International Relations and Tourism Committee of the House of Representatives on Thursday, the parliamentarians asked to proceed with the investigation only by suspending the responsible officials. Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Badri Pandey was also present in the meeting.

Congress MP Bimalendra Nidhi had suggested to Minister Pandey to proceed with the investigation only by releasing the officials of the authority from responsibility. I would like to request the minister, if it is possible, to relieve him immediately, if not, to suspend him. Only by suspension can the investigation be credible," Nidhi had said. He said that when the director general of the authority, Pradeep Adhikari, was kept in his position, the people questioned the parliamentarians themselves.

UML Representative House Whip Sunita Baral said that those in charge of the authority should be held accountable and move forward. She objected to the presentation of the officials of the ministry and the authority, mentioning that the parliamentarians were questioned during the discussion in the parliamentary committee about the accident and investigation. "It is not appropriate that the questions of those who should be responsible and those who should feel responsible should be directed towards the parliamentarians," he said. Baral said that there is no place where officials of the authority can get away with technicalities to cover up their weaknesses. "We need an answer from the minister about how much we are responsible for correcting the weaknesses," she said.

Congress MP Udayashamsher Jabara said that the report of the investigation committee, which will be carried out by keeping the director general of the authority, cannot be trusted. He also demanded that the officer should be removed from the post to give confidence to the Nepali people regarding the report. MP Jabara also objected to the Director General's statement in the committee that the decision not to fly helicopters after 12 noon during rainy season had to be withdrawn under pressure. Whose pressure came? Where did the pressure come from? Whose hand is here? Which mafia is behind it? It is also important to pay attention to that,' he said.

Maoist MP Tshiring Lhamu Lama said that the responsible officer cannot escape by blaming technology for the helicopter and ship crash. There is a big weakness of the agency that gives permission to fly. Shall the relevant agencies that grant permission to fly despite the bad weather be brought under the scope of action or not?'' She said, 'Will the minister, secretary and officials of the authority answer responsibly or not?' He said that the secretary of the ministry, Ganesh Pandey, is also distorting the facts and presenting to the parliamentary committee. The secretary said that it is an autonomous body, I do not accept that. In such an accident, the minister should bring a proposal and the executive of the concerned agency should be dismissed immediately. Even the secretary cannot present the facts here. If not dismissed, we want to question the minister," said Bajgain.

RSWP MP Shishir Khanal had put in the committee the statistics that Nepal ranks twelfth in the world in the list of people who lost their lives in air accidents. He emphasized that even if it is called technical and pilot error, it is the weakness of the regulatory body and they should be held accountable. His question was, 'Is the person under investigation fit to stay in office? Will the ministry take responsibility for the accident or the authority?' He expressed his displeasure saying that no one took responsibility even when there were so many and big air accidents.

Congress MP NP Saud emphasized that the report of the investigation committee formed after the air crash should be made public and the recommendations should be implemented. Air accidents are happening continuously. "How to control the accident, what caused the accident, why the accident rate is so high," he said No one should be responsible. He said that there is a suspicion that the air accident investigation committee was not created to cover up the weaknesses. No official is guilty? Blaming only the pilot?' He asked the director general officer of the authority, 'You have no fault? If you do something good, you say I did it, so don't take responsibility for it.'' Maoist MP Hit Bahadur Tamang said that no one should be allowed to make mistakes and weaknesses over and over again. He emphasized on the need to create a situation where those who commit mistakes and weaknesses in the authority should be brought to justice. "There is a fight going on between the authority and the airline corporation for the ancestral property," he said, "it is not giving good results." He said that he was in legal consultation on the matter. Minister Pandey said that although it was a matter of the person himself that he should step down from the post on the basis of ethics and allow a clean investigation, he was consulting constitutionally and legally.

He informed that since the accident of Solar Airlines plane at Tribhuvan International Airport, action is being taken against the responsible officials. What are the difficulties, what are the complications to go on a procedural path? We are investigating," Minister Pandey said in a parliamentary committee meeting. "The decision made by the minister should be constitutionally and legally accepted, otherwise the minister cannot hold office morally. We are seriously discussing that matter. I want to assure you that this committee will get it soon, the whole country will get it through its chairman.

committee chairman Rajkishore Yadav said that the government should be careful that people who are making mistakes do not get away with the misuse of legal loopholes. The minister should move forward with determination so that people who are working with wrong intentions do not get away with legal loopholes. "There is no place to play on the constitutional, legal, political level," he said. Regarding Wednesday's accident, the director general of the authority said that the accident was initially seen due to the violation of the rule that helicopters should not enter clouds and should not enter places that cannot be seen by the eye. "The main reason will be told by the inquiry commission. It seems that the accident occurred when he turned left on the way back because he suddenly entered the Heda Badal," he said in the committee meeting. In the meeting of the

committee, the parliamentarians also held the view that the authority should be divided into two bodies, the regulator and the service provider. Congress MP Nidhi had suggested the minister to be prepared even though he would have to discuss it with the top leaders. He said that the minister should give a calendar to make the authority a regulator and a service provider by setting a certain deadline. Nidhi commented that the officials of the authority tried to influence the top leaders to prevent them from becoming service providers and regulators.

MP Jabara also said that the authority should be divided into regulators and service providers not only functionally but completely. He said that it was the officials of the ministry who wanted to cancel the plan to create a regulator and service provider. MP Jabara objected to Secretary Pandey's statement that preparations were being made to create an 'Air Safety' body under the authority. He said that the air safety agency should be kept under the regulatory body.

The committee directed the Government of Nepal, the Office of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation to submit the bill to amend and unify the laws related to the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority and the bill to establish and regulate the Nepal Air Service Authority to the Federal Parliament as soon as possible. has given