July 19: Following the recent verdict of the Supreme Court (SC), the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) have decided to take the needful steps to construct an international airport in Nijgadh.    
The ministry said it has decided to form a panel of experts to locate an appropriate site for the construction of an airport to in Nijgadh.    
The civil aviation's regulatory body CAAN decided to form the panel which would get final shape after approval from the cabinet meeting within a few days. The construction of the Nijgadh International Airport would be forwarded based on the study report presented by the committee.    
During a meeting of the International Relations Committee of the federal parliament held on Monday, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Jeevan Ram Shrestha shared that the airport would be constructed with least environmental damage based on the experts' recommendation in line with the SC verdict.    
The cost of the Nijgadh International Airport, the much-hyped national pride project, is estimated to be around Rs 120 billion in the preliminary phase. So far, as much as 8,050 hectares of land has been acquired and around Rs 3 billion spent for the project.    
The International Relations Committee Chairperson Pabitra Niraula Kharel said the project should be advanced without further delay since it is vital for Nepal's development and economic prosperity.    
She also said the committee would take its decision after holding consultations with the Minister for Law and Justice by internalising the full text of the SC verdict.    
Likewise, former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said the SC has paved the way for the construction of the Nijgadh International Airport and now the ministry and line agencies should proceed without further delay.    
On the occasion, Director General of CAAN Pradip Adhikari shared about administrative and other decisions taken in this regard.    
Speaking at the meeting, lawmakers Bhim Bahadur Rawal, Surendra Kumar Karki, Dev Prakash Timalsina, Chand Tara Kumari, Pushpa Kumari Karn Kayastha, Dipak Prakash Bhatta, Mohan Baniya and Renuka Gurung shared common views stating that the airport was appropriate from all perspectives thus a state-of-the-art airport in Nijgadh should be constructed as soon as possible.  -- RSS