With only one week remaining before the election, the government is preparing to appoint the director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).
In a Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday, Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation Anil Kumar Sinha presented a proposal to appoint Dev Chandra Lal Karna as the director general of CAAN. Though the proposal was tabled, the appointment has not yet been finalized.
Karna is currently serving as the acting director general of CAAN.
There are only three working days left before March 5, after which the election will lead to the formation of a new government. However, the interim government has moved the proposal forward to complete the appointment before its term ends.
Since the election code of conduct prohibits new appointments, the government sought approval from the Election Commission. Commissioner Sagun Shumsher Rana confirmed that the commission has granted approval.
"Approval was granted because the aviation audit needs to be conducted, and a vacant post could negatively impact Nepal’s safety rating. Additionally, it did not appear that the appointment would affect the election," Rana said.
Alongside Karna, Deputy Director General Prem Nath Thakur and General Manager Jagannath Niraula are also in the running for the top post.
Sources claim that Thakur has been staking his claim to the post, arguing that he ranked first in seniority during the promotion to the 12th level.
Thakur and Karna joined the service at the same time. Karna was promoted to the 11th level earlier than others. However, during the promotion to the 12th level, Thakur was ranked first, which forms the basis of his claim.
On December 30, 2021, the CAAN board decided to promote four officials to the 12th level. Among those promoted, Thakur was ranked first, followed by Hansharaj Pandey, Karna, and Govinda Prasad Dahal, respectively.
Previously, after then-director general Raj Kumar Chhetri retired upon reaching the age of 58 on January 8, 2022, Karna was given the responsibility of acting director general effective from the following day.
Later, director general Pradeep Adhikari was arrested and sent to custody for trial regarding the construction of the Nalinchowk Heliport in Bhaktapur. His term was set to run until January 31. Following Adhikari’s arrest, Minister Sinha appointed Karna as the acting head on December 18.
When questioned why the interim government is rushing the appointment as its term nears its end, Minister Sinha said that the Cabinet has not made a final decision and that the process is still ongoing.
We also asked him why the interim government is making the appointment at this time when its job is to hold elections and a new government will be formed soon.
"Let’s look at it this way: the previous director general was suspended, and we couldn't appoint a successor while his term was still technically active," Sinha explained. "However, it is not ideal to leave a sensitive institution like Civil Aviation without a formal head. Furthermore, the European Union has kept us under 'safety concern' status. Since we need to prepare for ways to improve that, an acting director general was named. Now that the former director general's term has officially ended, we have started the process to fill the vacancy."
When asked if an acting director wouldn't suffice for the aviation audit, the minister argued there was no reason to keep the position vacant. He noted that leaving the post to be run by an acting head could lead to controversies and manipulations and media scrutiny.
"So, the principle is that if a post is vacant, it should be filled immediately," Minister Sinha said.
“I am not aware of that issue. How has seniority been determined? From what we see, the 12th level promotions were made on the same day,” he said. “In such cases, the Public Service Commission examines who was senior in previous appointments. If those were also on the same day, the serial number order is considered.”
He added, “Based on that evaluation, seniority has been determined in line with the principles followed by the Public Service Commission, and the senior-most candidate has been recommended.”
