Airport blacktopped

BHARATPUR:

The blacktopping of the runaway at Bharatpur airport has been completed. According to the civil aviation authority office, blacktopping of the 550-metre portion of the runaway was carried out at a cost of Rs 15.4 million. A 650-metre portion of the runway was blacktopped in the last fiscal year at a cost of Rs 14.5 million. Suman Kumar Shrestha, director of CAAN, said an additional 300-metre portion of the runway is required to be blacktopped for the landing of the 105-seat Fokker airplane. Along with the blacktopping of the runaway, two security posts will be also installed. Till date, only Dornier and Twin Otter planes are landing. Raj Kumar Chhetri, general manager of CAAN Bharatpur office said the Buddha Air is to start operating Kathmandu-Bharatpur flight very soon as blacktopping has been completed. At present, Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation, Yeti Airlines, Cosmic Air, and Gorkha Airlines are operating five flights daily. — RSS

Tourist arrivals rise

BUTWAL:

The number of foreign tourists entering Nepal through Sunauli-Belhiya transit point on the Nepal-India border has gone up in the first 10 months of the current year 2005 compared to the number of tourists during the same period last year. The rise has been attributed to improved peace and security situation in the country. A total of 37,788 foreign tourists came into Nepal through the transit point during the period. During the same duration, a revenue of Rs 19 million was collected through immigration charges from tourists. The number of tourists entering Nepal in the corresponding period last year was 35,760.— RSS

Vietnam’s WTO entry

HANOI:

Vietnam, which has failed to clinch accords to enter the World Trade Organisation (WTO) by its self-imposed deadline of December, will not set a new target date, a top leader was quoted Saturday as saying. “Now we think that we will not set a date. When we meet appropriate conditions, we will join as soon as possible,” Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan said.—AFP