NEPALGUNJ, June 4: The new terminal building at Nepalgunj Airport is set to be completed ahead of the scheduled time. The construction is in its final phase, including Terminal Building Blocks A, B, and C, as well as the apron, vehicle parking, guest house, drainage, sidewalks, and toilets. The construction side claims that the project will be finished before the deadline.
Smita Punjali, the project engineer, said that the contractor company has accelerated the work to complete it ahead of the scheduled time.
The terminal building construction was started by Sharma and Company Pvt Ltd after signing the contract on December 16, 2022. According to the Nepalgunj Airport Project Office, the company agreed to complete all work by December 15, 2025, with a contract amount of Rs 2.72 billion excluding VAT.
“The contractor company’s deadline is until mid-December (Mangsir), but it seems the work will be completed even earlier,” engineer Smita told Republica. “So far, the work has been satisfactory.”
According to her, about 70 percent physical progress has been made so far. However, due to a lack of budget, the company has received payments amounting to only Rs 1.50 billion, which is less than the physical progress achieved.
Terminal building construction to begin at three airports
“The entire budget allocated for the current fiscal year (FY) 2024/25 has been exhausted, so payments could not be made to the company,” she said, “Now, the plan is to pay the remaining amount to the company from the next FY’s budget.”
As the construction work reaches its final phase, the airport complex itself has undergone a significant transformation.
Rakesh Kumar Shah of Sharma and Company Pvt Ltd said that the company’s policy is the reason behind the work being completed ahead of the scheduled time. “Once we take responsibility, it is the company’s policy to work according to the timeline,” he said, “Our company has completed work in almost all the projects it has undertaken ahead of the deadline.”
According to him, the company had also completed the Nepalgunj–Gulariya Hulaki Road project 10 months ahead of schedule. Engineer Shah said that the structures, including the terminal building of Nepalgunj Airport, are planned to be handed over to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal by the upcoming month of Shrawan (mid-July to mid-August).
According to Shah, a three-story terminal building, including an underground level, covering 55,000 square feet has been constructed in the airport complex. The terminal building has been built according to international standards. “We have built a terminal building that meets international standards so that international flights can be operated if the runway is expanded in the future,” Shah added. The terminal building can accommodate 500 passengers at a time.
The construction company has complained that they have not received payments from the government according to the progress of the work.
Local community leaders say that the new terminal building and other infrastructure at the airport contributed further to the development of Nepalgunj. Krishna Prasad Shrestha, former president of the Nepalgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the terminal building construction will open the way for international flights, including Nepalgunj–Delhi.
He claimed that the physical infrastructure being built at Nepalgunj Airport has aided in the growth of the city and will eventually help link it to international air routes.
