Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House of Representatives has decided to refer the issue of alleged corruption in the construction of Pokhara International Airport (PIA) to the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) for necessary investigation and action.
In a meeting held on Wednesday, the PAC formally endorsed the report submitted by its subcommittee led by Rajendra Lingden. According to PAC Chairperson Rishikesh Pokharel, the committee will urge the CIAA to investigate the corruption allegations detailed in the report.
Spread over nearly 200 hectares in Kaski district, the construction of the airport began in 2025/16 with an estimated cost of Rs 22 billion and a construction deadline of 2018/19. However, the deadline was pushed back by two years, with the cost jumping to Rs 25.34 billion. The government built the airport with a $216 million soft loan from China EXIM Bank.
The subcommittee has stated in its report that serious financial and technical irregularities were orchestrated, starting from the tender process to the construction phase of the airport.
Pokharel said the report’s contents would be forwarded to the CIAA for prompt review and necessary action.
During the meeting, lawmakers put forth differing views on the report’s findings. CPN-UML lawmaker Yogesh Bhattarai said the CIAA should carry out an independent investigation. Bhattarai, who served as the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation during the airport’s development, said he would fully cooperate with the investigation and appear for questioning if summoned.
On the other hand, Nepali Congress lawmaker Arjun Narsingh KC defended the subcommittee’s report, stating that it was prepared without bias. He called for the swift implementation of its recommendations.
Subcommittee Coordinator Lingden said the report was the result of a thorough and impartial process conducted in full adherence to parliamentary procedures.
