Surkhet Airport Expansion Remains Stalled Amid Shifting Political Priorities

Surkhet. The expansion of Surkhet Airport has been a major election agenda for candidates running for provincial and federal assembly seats since 2074 BS. The airport, located within Birendranagar, the capital of Karnali Province, is too narrow to accommodate larger aircraft, leading to persistent calls for its expansion and upgrading to make air travel accessible to the general public.

However, the airport expansion has not materialized yet. Instead, political parties are using the issue of expansion as a tool for political gain, says an intellectual from Birendranagar on condition of anonymity.

'It was claimed in 2077 BS that land acquisition for the expansion would move forward,' the intellectual says, 'At that time, one faction prevented the work from progressing, and in the 2079 elections, the same faction made the expansion an election agenda again.'

Nevertheless, the issue of airport expansion does not seem to have gained much priority in the upcoming federal assembly elections scheduled for Falgun 21. Although mentioned sporadically in some places, most candidates have not included airport expansion in their election campaigns. Moreover, most candidates have not yet released their election manifestos. However, the discussion surrounding it is not as intense as in the past.

Jhak Bahadur Malla, a candidate from the CPN (UML) for Surkhet-2, made some informal commitments during a press conference a few days ago. These included establishing IT colleges in every local level and transforming Birendranagar into a modern city.

The expansion of Surkhet Airport is included as one minor point. Other candidates have also held press conferences once or twice, but none have raised the issue of airport expansion. They are also not heard speaking about airport expansion in public programs.

Nepali Congress candidate Narayan Koirala, UML candidate Kulmani Devkota, and RSP candidate Ramesh Sapkota have neither spoken about the expansion in their speeches nor given it priority in their campaign materials.

The UML, which was once accused of not cooperating when the expansion work was about to begin, made airport expansion its election agenda in the 2079 elections. Yamalal Kandel, who is currently the Chief Minister of Karnali, prominently raised this issue. However, prior to that, he faced accusations of not cooperating during the expansion process.

The map was prepared to extend the runway by 600 meters by expanding the airport to the north. Accordingly, the process of land requisition for implementation also moved forward. But at that time, Yamalal Kandel, the then leader of the opposition party and the Member of Parliament for that area, did not cooperate, says a minister who was in the government then.

The Karnali Provincial Government decided in the last week of Mangsir 077 BS to move forward with a long-term vision to develop Surkhet Airport as an airport equipped with 'Approach Light' facilities. For the airport expansion and upgrading, estimated to cost nearly 2 billion rupees, the provincial government allocated 50 crore rupees and the federal government allocated 51 crore rupees in the first phase. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between the federal and provincial governments for the airport expansion.

The map was prepared to extend the runway by 600 meters by expanding the airport to the north. Accordingly, the process of land requisition for implementation also moved forward. But at that time, Yamalal Kandel, the then leader of the opposition party and the Member of Parliament for that area, did not cooperate, says a minister who was in the government then.

Expanding the airport to the north will affect about 900 households in Wards 10, 11, and 12 of Birendranagar Municipality, as well as Amarjoti School. The current chairman of the school's management committee is UML leader Purna Paudel.

The UML has a strong influence in that area. The then two Chief Ministers, Mahendra Bahadur Shahi and Jivan Bahadur Shahi, claimed that the expansion work stopped because Kandel, who was in the opposition then, did not cooperate. Kandel also held meetings and discussions with the public multiple times when the expansion process was moving forward.

Due to the potential for a major dispute, Birendranagar Municipality decided that an alternative airport should be sought. Claiming to represent the public, the municipality wrote a letter on Magh 5, 2077 BS, to the Provincial Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forest, and Environment and the Federal Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation.

Regarding the runway expansion, the municipality decided to request the provincial government and the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation to search for and arrange the construction of an airport at a new alternative location in Surkhet district, as difficulties were seen in expanding the airport in the existing area due to requests from local residents not to proceed with the expansion work.

After that, Jivan Bahadur Shahi, who came to lead the provincial government, declared the expansion chapter 'closed' based on the locals' views. Leaders from the Maoist and Congress parties who were in the government at that time claimed that the expansion work stopped because Birendranagar Municipality, the local public, and Kandel, the then Provincial Assembly member for that area, did not cooperate. However, other parties claim that the UML has always played ambiguous politics regarding the expansion work. But in the 2079 elections, Yamalal Kandel, who contested again from Surkhet-2 (A), made airport expansion a top priority in his electoral commitments. Congress candidate Hridayaram Thani not only made it an election agenda but also lobbied in the center for the expansion, but he could not secure the necessary budget for the expansion.

Following the dispute over the airport expansion located in Area Number 2, Purnabahadur Khadka, the Member of Parliament for Surkhet-1 after the 2079 elections, took the initiative to build a new airport at Ramghat in Bheriganga in eastern Surkhet. A letter became public stating that if a new airport is built and operationalized, the current airport would be developed as a forest area, as per the environmental impact assessment area determination report and work schedule for the new airport. This subsequently caused a stir in provincial politics.

An all-party, all-stakeholder meeting held among the House of Representatives and Provincial Assembly members for Birendranagar Municipality, Area Number 2, political parties, and stakeholders made a 6-point decision in Poush 2080 to move forward with the expansion work. However, the expansion work has not progressed yet.

If a new airport is built in the eastern region of Surkhet and the current airport is used as a forest area, Birendranagar will be weakened, leading Yamalal Kandel and other local stakeholders to oppose it. After the concept of a new airport moved forward, Kandel and other stakeholders in Birendranagar became alarmed and started advocating for the expansion of the existing airport. In Poush 2080, Birendranagar Municipality held an all-party meeting regarding the airport. That meeting concluded that there was no alternative other than expanding the current airport.

An all-party, all-stakeholder meeting held among the House of Representatives and Provincial Assembly members for Birendranagar Municipality, Area Number 2, political parties, and stakeholders made a 6-point decision in Poush 2080 to move forward with the expansion work. However, the expansion work has not progressed yet.

Yamalal Kandel, elected to the Provincial Assembly from Surkhet-2 (A), has become the Chief Minister. However, he does not seem to have taken significant initiative regarding the airport expansion. When in the opposition, Kandel was lobbying in the center along with Hridayaram Thani, the Congress MP representing Surkhet in the House of Representatives. There is talk that Kandel has shown little interest in the airport since taking the leadership of the provincial government.

Although the provincial government mentioned the airport expansion in the budget statement for the current fiscal year, it has not allocated any specific budget amount. Point number 74 of the budget states, 'I have arranged the necessary budget in cooperation with the federal government to expand and upgrade the airport.'

However, neither the federal nor the provincial government has allocated a budget for the airport expansion. The current runway to the north of the airport is 1,255 meters long. The narrow runway causes problems for the landing of large aircraft. Hirajan Kafle, the Chief of Surkhet Airport, stated that there is currently no discussion about the airport expansion.

'We have not received any formal letter or decision regarding the expansion so far,' he said.

Another official at the airport says, 'There was some discussion last year; it seemed the Chief Minister and central MPs were involved, but after the budget was not secured, the matter seems to have faded now.'