KATHMANDU: Following two recent plane catastrophes, members of Nepal's Parliament have called for the resignation of Badri Pandey, Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, and Pradeep Adhikari, Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN). The demands were made at a hearing of the House of Representatives' International Relations and Tourism Committee when MPs claimed that both leaders should accept moral responsibility for the helicopter and plane catastrophes.
Due to the back-to-back occurrences within a two-week period, MPs from a variety of parties, including the Aam Janata Party, Rastriya Swatantra Party, Rastriya Swatantra Party, and Nepali Congress (NC), asked that Minister Pandey quit. Even in cases where human error played a role, NC MP Rajendra Bajagain and RSP MP Shishir Khanal stressed that the regulating agency, CAAN, must take responsibility for its failures.
RPP MP Dhawal Shamsher Rana highlighted the need for someone to take responsibility, referencing past incidents during the Panchayat regime where ministers resigned following air accidents. He suggested that either the minister or staff from the relevant agency should be held accountable. Aam Janata Party MP Prabhu Shah criticized the government for failing to act effectively, questioning if the government is meant to protect its citizens or not.
In response to the criticisms, CAAN DG Pradeep Adhikari explained that the Air Dynasty helicopter crash was due to crew weaknesses and not regulatory oversight. He mentioned that a detailed report would be provided by the investigation committee formed by the government. DG Adhikari clarified that the helicopter had flown into an area with poor weather conditions without the necessary Visual Flight Rules (VFR) permission, suggesting a violation of safety protocols by the crew.
The recent incidents included a plane crash involving Saurya Airlines at Tribhuvan International Airport on July 24, resulting in 18 deaths, followed by an Air Dynasty helicopter crash in Surya Chaur, Nuwakot, which claimed five lives. The repeated accidents have raised concerns about aviation safety standards and the effectiveness of regulatory oversight in Nepal.
