Kathmandu, April 27

Nepali Congress lawmaker Rajendra Bajgain demanded that Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey should resign from his post at the earliest.

Addressing the HoR, lawmaker Bajgain said: "If a Civil Aviation Minister survives in this country, it means he is involved in corruption; otherwise, why wouldn't he resign in the face of rampant corruption within his ministry?"

He said he had long been raising concerns about Nepal's extremely poor aviation safety standards and the urgent need for reform. Nepal remains blacklisted by the European Union (EU) and is continuously under scrutiny by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

"It is well known that our air safety standards are alarmingly low," Bajgain said.

Recognizing the seriousness of the issue, we - including our party President Sher Bahadur Deuba, 15 different members of Parliament, including Ramesh Lekhak and Arzu Rana Deuba - went together to the Prime Minister's residence to push for action. Yet the question remains: Why aren't the civil aviation authorities and MPs taking the initiative to pass the necessary legislation through the Parliament? lawmaker Bajgain wondered. He said the weaknesses in Nepal's aviation safety directly affect the country's mountaineering tourism sector.

This year alone, over 500 climbers have arrived to summit Mount Everest. If you include the support teams and porters, the number of people reported as part of climbing expeditions exceeds 2,000. However, the Ministry of Tourism has no disaster management plan in place, nor has it properly identified safe climbing routes for the future, he added.

Nepal's tourism sector has long been marred by scandals like the "fake rescue" scam, and proper safety protocols are still not followed. Ministers are frequently reshuffled, leading to a lack of stability and continuity. Every time a new minister assumes office; doubts arise about whether they will genuinely enforce reforms or merely abuse their power to accumulate personal wealth.

Lawmaker Bajgain further said: Thus, if we are to repair Nepal's international image, protect the tourism economy, and most importantly, safeguard the lives of our citizens and visitors, there is no alternative but to immediately pass a strong and effective Nepal Aviation Service Bill.