Top Aviation Officials Face Graft Charge Over Irregularities during Construction of Nalinchowk Heliport

Alleged irregularities during the construction of the Nalinchowk Heliport in Bhaktapur, now lying unused due to serious flight safety concerns, has landed top officials of Nepal’s aviation sector regulator in jail.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Wednesday filed a corruption case against six individuals, including Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Pradeep Adhikari over alleged irregularities worth Rs 135.7 million during the construction of the heliport.

Others charged in the case include former CAAN director Murari Bhandari, Nal Bikram Thapa, engineer Samriddhi Shrestha, and two consultants - Gurudatta Adhikari and Bijaya Thapa -- of Abhiyantra Consulting Pvt Ltd.

According to the anti-graft body, massive irregularities and violations of legal provisions occurred at every stage of the heliport’s construction process. The state-owned news agency RSS reported that the charge sheet alleges the accused of causing financial losses amounting to Rs 135.7 million to the state by breaching regulations from the selection of consultants to the preparation of the study report.

The commission said the heliport project moved forward without conducting a mandatory feasibility study. It also found that technical and financial proposals were sought without legal approval and that inexperienced consulting firms were selected through collusion. The procurement process, the CIAA added, proceeded without a properly prepared detailed project report.

According to RSS, the investigation further revealed that engineer Samriddhi Shrestha and former director Murari Bhandari approved the project’s feasibility study and initiated the consultancy procurement process by preparing a cost estimate without carrying out an actual study.

The CIAA also stated that the construction advanced without obtaining required specifications, plans, designs, procurement master plans, annual procurement plans, and budget approvals as stipulated by the Public Procurement Act and Regulations.

Although the heliport formally came into operation on June 21, 2024, helicopter operations were soon halted after pilots raised serious safety concerns. Helicopter companies requested CAAN to suspend flights from the site, citing risks to flight safety.

Pilots submitted a formal application to CAAN highlighting practical difficulties and safety hazards encountered during operations. In response, CAAN formed a 16-member technical committee chaired by Deputy Director Prabhakar Chandra Mallik to investigate the concerns and assess the heliport’s operability. Despite its completion, the Nalinchowk Heliport remains effectively non-operational due to unresolved safety concerns. – With inputs from RSS