POKHARA, JULY 4

Almost 60 per cent construction work of Pokhara Regional International Airport has been completed. The China-based CAMC Engineering Company has been entrusted with the contract to complete the project by 10 July 2021.

The estimated project cost is Rs 22 billion. Construction of the airport had begun three years ago Most of the airport infrastructures, including a runway, internal and external terminal buildings and air traffic control tower, have been completed.

Overall, around 60 per cent of the airport infrastructure has been built, according to project Chief Binesh Munkarmi. Construction work of terminal buildings, cementing of the main entrance, construction of an approach route to the buildings, cementing of car parking lot and construction of isolated parking are in progress. Nepali and Chinese workers have been working even amidst the loockdown.

‘’Though we are not able to carry out work in full swing, we are continuing the work even during the lockdown,’’ he said. Some 100 Nepali workers and 250 Chinese have been employed for the project.

Before the lockdown, almost 500 workers used to work on a daily basis. Some Chinese workers, who returned home to celebrate the English New Year-2020, could not return due to the coronavirus.

Lack of workers has partially impacted the project. The contractor had, earlier, said they would start test flight six months before the deadline. But due to the adverse situation created by the pandemic, that seems almost impossible now.

CAMC Engineering Company was entrusted with the contract to build the airport in May 2014. Construction work of the airport had started since July 2017. Construction materials stranded at Kolkata port have arrived recently.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 5, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.