Under the National Pride Project, construction work inside Tribhuvan International Airport has come to a halt after the supply of high-quality aggregate required for the airport expansion project was stopped.

The supply of construction materials was halted due to a dispute between the aggregate supplier and Godawari Municipality in Lalitpur, a court order, and the lack of its implementation. According to Engineer Dipendra Shrestha, Director of the Air Transport Capacity Enhancement Project under the Civil Aviation Authority, work on two important structures inside the airport has stopped after the supply of aggregate from the Godawari area was halted.

“Currently, the blacktopping work of the uniform taxiway on the northern side has been completely stopped. The contractor has also halted the concrete casting of the newly constructed international apron,” Shrestha told Kantipur. “Both the nighttime taxiway work and the daytime apron casting have been affected.”

According to him, although about 90 percent of the work inside the airport has been completed, the lack of construction materials has obstructed the final phase of work. He said this would not only extend the project completion time but also increase the cost. “The stoppage of aggregate supply means the contractor will need an extension of time. This could also increase the project cost,” he said.

According to Shrestha, the technical standards for aggregate used in airport construction are different from those used in road construction. While vehicles weighing 10 to 50 tons generally operate on Nepal’s roads, aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 70 to 300 tons regularly operate on the pavement of Tribhuvan International Airport. Therefore, the aggregate required for airport construction must meet strict technical standards, including high hardness and specified size and shape. He said such quality and specified size aggregate is produced in the Godawari area.

Aggregate and gravel for the airport have been supplied from three crusher industries operating in the Godawari area. According to crusher entrepreneur Madhusudan Dotel, Birendra Maharjan Stone Quarry and Nirakar Aggregate-Stone Industry in Tikabhairav, as well as Machhindra Multipurpose Crusher Quarry Industry and Bahubali Construction Pvt. Ltd. in Devichaur, have been supplying construction materials for the airport projects. However, supply from these industries is currently at a standstill.

Birendra Maharjan, operator of Birendra Maharjan Stone Quarry, said that after Godawari Municipality failed to implement the order of the Patan High Court, they filed a contempt of court case at the Lalitpur District Court about a month ago. According to him, after the municipal police started monitoring the quarry area, it became impossible to send construction materials out.

Godawari Municipality Mayor Gajendra Maharjan, however, claimed that the municipality had not stopped the supply of construction materials. “Since the entrepreneurs have gone to court, the process is now in the court. The supply has not been obstructed because of us,” he told Kantipur on Tuesday. According to him, the Patan High Court has ordered the Forest Office, the Department of Mines and Geology, and the Survey Office to submit a report for demarcating the quarry area. He said the municipality is waiting for reports from those agencies.

“Once the relevant agencies submit their reports on quarry operations, we will proceed accordingly,” said Mayor Maharjan. On Poush 2, the Patan High Court issued a mandamus order in the name of Godawari Municipality in response to a writ filed by Bahubali Construction Pvt. Ltd. The court, noting that the municipality had been collecting taxes and fees and granting transportation permits in previous years, ordered that, in the current fiscal year as well, taxes should be collected as per the law and the stored aggregate, gravel, stone, and sand should be allowed to be transported for the airport expansion project.

The court concluded that the failure of the municipality to initiate the legal process for tax collection had obstructed business operations and affected the National Pride Project. According to available documents, Bahubali Construction had also submitted an application to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers last Asoj to facilitate the transportation of construction materials.

After that, the District Administration Office, Lalitpur, corresponded with Godawari Municipality to facilitate the process. However, the municipality replied that it could not facilitate the process, citing that the company had not completed necessary documents such as industry permits and environmental study reports. Later, even after the High Court issued a mandamus order, its implementation remains disputed. Madhusudan Dotel, operator of Nirakar Aggregate-Stone Industry, accused that the supply of construction materials had been stopped due to political disputes within Godawari Municipality.

He said that there were no problems with quarry registration, renewal, and royalty collection when the District Development Committee was in place, but disputes arose after the local level gained authority. According to him, the dispute escalated after the municipality recently showed arrears of 50 million to 100 million rupees for the industries. “A complaint was also filed at the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority on this issue. Later, it was sent back to the municipality for resolution. But the issue was politicized,” he said.

Currently, three major projects are under construction at Tribhuvan International Airport: the international apron and taxiway at a cost of about 7 billion rupees, the hangar area at about 4 billion rupees, and a parallel taxiway at about 4 billion rupees.