By Dharbendra Jha
Janakpurdham, Dec. 9: The state-of-the-art new terminal building and control tower of Janakpur Airport in Janakpurdham, the capital of Province 2, has come into operation.
Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Bhattarai inaugurated the building amidst a programme here on Tuesday. Now, the airport will no longer use its 53-year-old old terminal building.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony, Minister Bhattarai said that the government had emphasised the construction of such terminal buildings to enhance inter-provincial connectivity. He also expressed his happiness that, despite the building being under the ownership of the federal government, the provincial and local governments also coordinated and supported its construction process.
“The modern terminal building and control tower will also help develop the airport as a regional air hub in the coming days,” Bhattarai said while asking the local government to manage the land for the construction of a 1,600-metre runway.
Also speaking on the occasion, Rajendra Mahato, senior leader of Janata Samajbadi Party – Nepal and member of the House of Representatives, urged the government to quickly manage the conveyor belt and central air conditioning systems. The building does not currently have these facilities.
Acting Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Narendra Bahadur Thapa presided over the function which was attended by member of the House of Representatives Juli Mahaseth, Minister for Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment of Province 2, Ram Naresh Ray, Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Yadav Prasad Koirala, and Mayor of Janakpurdham Sub-Metropolitan City, Lal Kishore Sah, among others.
The terminal building and control tower constructed at a cost of Rs. 420 million has the capacity to handle 600 passengers during peak hours. It can also accommodate 80 cars and 150 motorcycles in its parking lot. A residence to house 35 security personnel has also been constructed. According to the airport, the terminal building is a steel structure which, along with the six-storey control tower, covers an area of half an acre. Work on the building started in 2012 and took eight years to complete.
Before Tuesday, the airport had been functioning with a small terminal building built in 1967 to handle passengers. The then Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Post Bahadur Bogati had laid the foundation stone for the new terminal building in October of 2012. Back then, it was supposed to cost Rs. 180 million and scheduled to be completed in one-and-a-half years. The designated contractor was Pappu and NK Construction. However, technical problems and lack of funds apparently delayed the work.
Former Director General of the CAAN Ratish Chandra Lal claimed that the new larger terminal building would end the problem of congestion at the airport.