MoCTCA unsatisfied with line agencies

Kathmandu, August 19

The government is unsatisfied with the works of the line agencies under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA).

Speaking at the annual review meeting of the Ministerial-level Development Action Committee (MDAC) at MoCTCA today, Tourism Minister Rabindra Adhikari has accused its line agencies of only preparing paper works and not doing anything tangible in the field.

“There are always very good plans and programmes in the budget, however the line agencies fail to implement them on the scheduled time,” Adhikari further stated.

Citing an example, Adhikari blamed the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) for failing to collect the data on the exact number of tourists coming to the country via land. He emphasised that the number of tourists entering the country via land is higher than the tourist arrivals via air route.

During the programme, the line agencies presented the financial and physical progress reports of the projects they were assigned.

The government had allocated Rs 24 billion to MoCTCA for fiscal year 2017-18 and the ministry had divided the allocated budget to 36 projects under the line agencies.

“The overall project development report is not satisfactory and we must change our working style,” Minister Adhikari said. “In the past there was frequent change in the government and subsequently a change in ministers too but now there is no such problem,” he stated. “I would like to ask the line agencies to complete the projects they have been assigned within the stipulated budget and schedule.”

Minister Adhikari even accused some high-ranking officials of the ministry of forming groups with vested interests and going against the ministry and the vision of the government. “I am closely watching the daily activities of some officials and I will take action against any official doing anything against the interest of the ministry,” he added.

According to him, some officials are also trying to obstruct the works of national pride projects.

Meanwhile, Minister Adhikari claimed that the Gautam Buddha International Airport is likely to start operation by 2019. He also urged the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) to complete the rehabilitation works of the runway at Tribhuvan International Airport.

Speaking at the programme, Krishna Devkota, secretary at MoCTCA, said that all the line agencies and staffs should change their behaviour for better results. “I can very confidently say that I have not delayed any file of any service seeker and I would request all the concerned staffs to work diligently to provide better service.”