The Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives has investigated the corruption that took place during the construction of the Pokhara Regional International Airport and instructed the Abuse of Authority Investigation Commission to take legal action against those involved.

The parliamentary committee on Wednesday directed the authority for the investigation and action process, concluding that at least 10 billion rupees were involved in the construction of the airport.

committee chairman Rishikesh Pokharel also sent the report of Pokhara airport study and monitoring sub-committee and informed that the authority has been instructed for further investigation and legal action process.

The sub-committee chaired by RPP MP Rajendra Lingden had recommended that Civil Aviation Authority Director General Pradeep Adhikari and Pokhara International Airport Project Chief Vinesh Munkarmi should be immediately suspended and the authority and the Money Laundering Investigation Department should be investigated and investigated to the extent permitted by law.

Adhikari was the airport project chief from 2071 to 2074 and has been the director general of the Civil Aviation Authority since January 17, 2078. Munkarmi has been the project leader since 2074. 

The sub-committee also recommended action against National Pride Project Director Chandmala Shrestha, Project Engineer Praveen Neupane, Project Administration Chief Rajendra Prasad Paudel, Authority Director Engineer Baburam Paudel, Authority's former Directors General Sanjeev Gautam, Rajan Pokharel and other incumbent officials involved. 

There was a dispute in the audit committee that the sub-committee had recommended only employees for action. UML MP Yogesh Bhattarai said that they should understand the issues related to those who are going to be recommended for action. In the report, prompt action has been recommended. which 

investment from 145 million to 216 million dollars, it is not named. The name of the one who gave the permission and budget for the cutting of Rithedanda is not recorded. If recommending

action, it should be written that this mistake was made. Do finance ministers pull or not pull? We have not questioned the Chinese. They are an important aspect," he said. Member of Parliament Bhattarai, who is also the former Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, said that if anyone from his party is involved in the decision-making process regarding the irregularities during the construction of the airport, he will be dealt with. "During my tenure, if there is any irregularity at Pokhara Airport, I will go to give a statement when the authority investigates. Another minister should also go.'  In the meeting of the

committee, UML MPs Jwalakumari Sah and Achyut Mainali said that the concerned person should be called to the committee to express their opinion and give them a chance to be vindicated. It is also a principle of natural justice to give a chance to the concerned person to acquit himself. We named so and so in the report, but what is the opinion of those people? Mainali said. 

United Samajwadi MP and sub-committee member Prem Elle said that the Ministry of Finance did not provide documents about Pokhara Airport.

'When we asked for the flight procedure design so far, only November 2022 has been provided. So far we have not received enough other documents. Even when we asked for the tax document, we did not get it from the Ministry of Finance,'' said the ex-Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. When the rural municipality budgets 50 million rupees, it has to enter into a contract under the Public Procurement Act, but corruption has been committed here by negotiating a contract worth more than 10 billion rupees. Congress MP Arjan Narsingh KC, who is a member of the

sub-committee, said that many financial irregularities were found in the construction of Pokhara Airport. "What will happen if the tradition of keeping quiet is established by carrying the debt we brought at such a high interest rate on the shoulders of the Nepali people?" he said. 

Shyam Kumar Ghimire of Congress raised the question whether the sub-committee has worked according to its purpose. Billions of dollars have been invested but the airport is not operational. The main purpose was that, but the report did not speak," he said, "for which the subcommittee was formed, the subcommittee did not enter." 

subcommittee coordinator Lingden said that the report was not made to protect someone involved in corruption and to trap someone. In the study report sent by the accounting committee to the authority, the report mentions that money was paid to dig soil for the construction of runways, taxi-ways, aprons, dams, drains and to bring gravel and soil from outside the airport, but it was not done. 

According to the report, in the original contract, "additional items" of 152,300,000 US dollars were mentioned, but in the final bill, the total "additional" amount was 204,36,960.

It has been found that the Authority has paid 742,659 US dollars from its budget for the installation of the HV AC system, contrary to the agreement to be made from the funds of the airport's 'feasibility' project. It is mentioned in the report that fuel storage will be built at the cost of 220,000 US dollars inside the airport, but that has not been done.