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NAC ready to add new aircraft

Monday - 12th February 2007

KATHMANDU, Feb. 11: Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said that the Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) should start procedure to buy an aircraft within one-and-a-half-months and the government has given the Corporation full authority to buy the aircraft.

Speaking at the fifth central assembly of the NAC Employees Union Sunday, he said the problem lies within NAC when it failed to start procedure of buying aircraft when the government has a clear policy and he, as minister, had given clear instructions to the NAC to start procedure to buy an aircraft.

The Corporation should not be privatised and the government wants to run it as public-private partnership, he said.

Minister Gyawali said that the state only could not always protect an institution and the institution must sustain by itself through internal management.

Saying, NAC is only airline, which provides services to the remote parts, he said NAC also has social responsibility and should not consider it only a competitor with private airlines. He said the main focus of NAC was to provide service irrespective of it makes profit or loss. "How much profit can NAC make with just two international flights."

Minister Gyawali said the problem of NAC could be solved but that could happen only when its employees, united, became honest and had integrity.

Chief Secretary of the government Dr. Bhoj Raj Ghimire said that there should be seriousness in the management of NAC. He said the airline should not be there to make a single or a few people happy but as an identity of the nation.

Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and chairman of the Board of Directors of the NAC, Madhav Prasad Ghimire said that the airline throughout its long history had been providing services to the people of the remote parts of the country. He said that it has been playing the role of Nepal's goodwill ambassador and in bringing tourists into the country.

Ghimire said that the government must seek alternatives to shore the airline out of difficulties.

Director General of NAC Gautam Das Shrestha promised that NAC would buy an aircraft within the timeframe given by the minister. He said that the condition of NAC had improved in the current fiscal year and added that its working style would be improved in the coming years.

Other speakers included board of directors Him Bahadur Rawal, Deputy Director General Krishna Bahadur Poudel, president of Nepal Trade Union Congress National Committee Laxman Bahadur Basnet and president of Nepal Inter-corporation National Committee Shisir Kumar Jha.

Similarly, president of Financial Institution Employees Association National Committee Ek Raj Acharya, president of NAC Employees Association Gupta Bahadur KC, president of National Employees Organisation of Nepal of NAC and senior captain Kul Bahadur Limbu.


Source gorkhapatra