KATHMANDU, Oct 2: The Karnali provincial government and the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the development, expansion and upgradation of Surkhet Airport on Thursday.
Under the concept of cost-sharing, CAAN and Karnali provincial government will work on the acquisition of land required for the upgradation, runway expansion, construction of terminal building and other necessary development work of the airport. Both the provincial government and CAAN have come to an agreement to expand the runway to at least 1,500 meters in length and develop the airport into a facilitated provincial hub after its upgrade.
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The provincial government will be responsible for the acquisition of land and take initiatives if any problem arises in the process, facilitate and coordinate the work. It will also provide 50 percent of the expenses as subsidy under the title of land acquisition. The government will also assist, coordinate and monitor the works done by CAAN.
Similarly, the authority will be responsible for preparing and submitting the proposal for the government to make decisions regarding land acquisition and compensation distribution according to the development, expansion and upgradation related technical report. It will present the proposal to the federal Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.
According to the MoU, CAAN will identify and recommend the land for acquisition necessary for the expansion of the airport. Both parties can contribute additional investment as per their mutual understanding. The MoCTCA will step in if any dispute arises while working on the project.
Ghanshyam Upadhyay, secretary at the provincial Ministry of Economic Affairs and Planning and Rajan Pokharel, director general at CAAN signed the MoU amid a program on Thursday.
