Nepal has sent details about the Nijgadh International Airport to Qatar after the Gulf state expressed interest to build the airport.
A source at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation told Setopati that a proposal including all details about the airport has been sent to the Qatari government through the Nepali embassy there.
The government has sent concept papers including the progress about the airport, its current state, and the modality for the project desired by Nepal, according to the source. "We have written to the Qatari government including our official position for the project. We will initiate the process for agreement at the government-to-government level following a Cabinet decision once we reach consensus on the project through discussion," the source stated.
Qatar had expressed interest to build the Nijgadh Airport during the Qatar visit of President Bidya Devi Bhandari at the end of October 2018. The two governments have held a few rounds of discussions on modality of investment and operation since then.
Qatar had first proposed to build it in engineering, procurement, construction, financing (EPCF) model. Nepal government, that has already decided to develop it in build, own, operate, transfer (BOOT), has proposed to Qatar to build it in BOOT model.
“We are close to agreement on the model,” the source revealed. “We will have to do technical study if the model is decided at the political level.”
The finer details about the project will be determined through government-to-government agreement once Qatar is handed the project.
In an interview with Setopati in November 2018, chief advisor to the prime minister Bishnu Rimal had revealed the government will directly negotiate with companies for development of big projects instead of inviting bids through global tender.
Qatar had proposed with Nepal for cooperation in the aviation sector even in the past. Qatar Airways had expressed to become strategic partner after the government took decision to take the Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) into company model.
Qatar has prioritized expansion of relation with far away friends after neighbors Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt imposed blockade on it in June 2017.
Qatar Airways procured five percent stake in China Southern Airlines last week.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the Nijgadh Airport has been approved until now after feasibility study nearly 25 years back. Modality of construction has yet to be decided. But the government has determined the four corners for the project and is distributing compensation for clearance of land.
The government says the modality for management of Tangiya settlement is in the final stage.
The detailed feasibility study done by South Korean company Landmark Worldwide (LMW) had put the cost of the first stage of the airport at Rs 91 billion.
