October 12: Despite the construction of Gautam Buddha International Airport is taking place at snail’s pace, the project has made commitment to complete 80 percent of construction work in eight months. Om Sharma, chief of the Gautam Buddha International Airport Project informed the Public Account Committee of the Parliament (PAC) on Monday that 80 percent works will be completed in eight months. “About 35 to 36 percent of physical infrastructure of the airport has been completed so far,” Sharma said.

Addressing the meeting, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Jitendra Narayan Dev said that although the construction of the airport is not satisfactory, the work is headed in the right direction of late.

Of the total Rs 6.22 billion budget for the project, Rs 1.43 billion has been paid to the contractor as advance. The project has displaced 600 houses and 2,000 families need to be compensated.

“Compensation worth Rs 400 million has been distributed in the last fiscal year,” Sharma told New Business Age. Dor Prasad Upadhyay, chairman of PAC, said that coordination is needed to complete the project. PAC has directed the project to complete all the works within the current fiscal year. It has also directed the ministry to manage human resources, equipment and other resources needed for the project.