POKHARA, Jan 1: Gandaki Province Chief Minister Krishna Chandra Pokhrel has urged the Chinese government to transform the loan it provided for the Pokhara Regional International Airport construction project into grants. In his address during the inaugural ceremony of the airport on Sunday, the chief minister said, “I urge the government of China through the Chinese Embassy here to convert 75 percent of the total loan into grants.”

It may be noted that some Rs 22 billion had been taken as a loan from the Exim Bank of China for the implementation of this project.

On the occasion, Chief Minister Pokharel said with the completion of the project, the 47-year-long dream of Pokhara folks had come true. He thanked the entire people of Pokhara, Shankar Raj Pathak who had conceptualised the project and all those who contributed to making it possible. 

He said that the airport should serve passengers in South Asia in the first phase and then the passengers in Western countries in the second phase. CM Pokharel expressed hopes that the arrival of tourists in the town would increase significantly with the operation of the international airport.

 “Now Pokhara should focus on extending the stay of tourists for at least 15 days,” CM Pokharel added.

He added that an assembly hall and a cricket ground with international standards were also the need of Pokhara, and urged Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to allocate the budget for the same. 

(RSS)

 
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