Big dreams of development are shown in Nepal, but when those dreams come true, they come with a terrible form of corruption, irregularity and failure.

Pokhara International Airport has become a vivid example of that. This project, which was moved forward in the name of national pride, is now stuck in the swamp of corruption worth more than 10 billion rupees.

This is not an ordinary irregularity, it is a massive pattern of organized and institutionalized corruption, where the involvement of contractors, employees, regulatory bodies, ministers and even the Prime Minister is evident. Such a huge scam is possible only when there is patronage or direct involvement of leaders at the pinnacle of power.

As the supreme decision-maker, the then Cabinet gave priority to such a project without detailed study. The concerned ministry gave the contract to the foreign company without technical evaluation, where even basic issues like technology, infrastructure and climate suitability were not considered. Authorities and technical bodies that are supposed to regulate and monitor remained silent, which would not have been possible without government directives or pressure.

Millions were paid to companies that didn't even do half of the work on the project, shoddy construction was approved, investigation files disappeared. This is not administrative negligence, it is vertical collusion. Such collusion is not possible only at the staff level, it requires the blessings of the leaders in power.

Corruption in Nepal repeats itself as a traditional practice. In the widebody plane scandal, the Budhigandaki project, the medical scam, only the employees got caught, but the decision-making leaders got away. Only the porters are caught in gold smuggling cases, but the masterminds of the multi-crore gold smuggling networks always escape under political protection.

schemes brought to the public have become a commission-eating tool for leaders. Pokhara Airport is another chapter of the same chaos and waste. Although the airport has been opened, there are no international flights and no passengers. There is only the shadow of corruption, silent politics and missing accountability.

Let there be a fair investigation on all parties involved in the corruption at Pokhara Airport. Do not protect the big fish leaders, ministers, contractors by taking action only on the employees. Parliament should form a special committee and make public all the facts, the authority should be freed from political interference.

- Santosh Simkhada , Tokyo, Japan