Kathmandu, Aug 15: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) had sent a detailed investigation report on irregularities in the construction of Pokhara International Airport to the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) over two months ago, urging legal action. Yet, CIAA has remained unusually silent.
The report, prepared by a subcommittee led by Rastriya Prajatantra Party chief Rajendra Lingden, concluded that the project’s cost shot up from the initial 14 billion rupees to 22 billion through irregular means. It found that the contract, signed under the Engineering Procurement Contract (EPC) model, violated terms by allowing price hikes, restricting bidding to Chinese contractors, and inflating costs via a Bill of Quantities.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) initially estimated the cost at USD 145 million, but the Chinese contractor CAMC bid over USD 305 million. Through negotiations, the contract was awarded at USD 215 million—USD 70 million higher than the original estimate, in breach of procurement law. The Auditor General’s report also flagged tax exemptions worth over 2.22 billion rupees granted against contract terms.
The subcommittee accused CAAN and CAMC of inserting USD 15.23 million in “additional items” without specifying details, calling it improper under EPC rules. Other irregularities included runway length reduction to 2,500 meters, absence of a business plan for operations, questionable construction quality, and unexplained increases in hill-cutting costs from 30 to 40 meters, adding 320 million rupees outside the agreed budget.
Lingden’s team recommended action against eight named officials, including current CAAN Director General Pradip Adhikari and former DGs Sanjiv Gautam and Rajan Pokhrel, along with several other project officials. It also called for immediate suspension and investigation of all involved, past or present.
Unified Socialist lawmaker Prem Ale criticized the inaction, saying over 100 days had passed with corrupt officials “walking freely.” He accused the government of protecting them. Lingden called CIAA’s inaction “mysterious” and pledged to raise the matter in committee meetings.
Not all lawmakers backed the report fully. CPN-UML members demanded further evidence before forwarding it to CIAA, arguing parts of the report showed bias. Still, after heated debate, the PAC voted to send it for investigation.
CIAA spokesperson Rajendra Kumar Paudel confirmed the matter is under review and said they are “preparing to file a case soon.” But for many, the prolonged silence remains a bigger question than the corruption itself.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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