KATHMANDU, Jan. 8: The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has decided to reopen the files of the Dhamija and Lauda Air scams to begin comprehensive investigations into two of the most notorious cases of fraud in Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC), the national flag carrier. The Ministry said that initial procedures for reopening the cases have already started. It might be noted that the two cases had caused losses worth billions of rupees to the national flag carrier.
The Ministry has also formed a six-member study team, involving the employees, to make the corporation’s management efficient, to control leakages and irregularities and to infuse accountability among the staff, said Joint Secretary at the Ministry Shanker Prasad Koirala.
Acting deputy director Gobardhan Khadka of the Passenger Services Department is coordinating the team. Other members are senior aeronautical engineer Mukunda Joshi; senior accounts officer at the Nepalgunj regional office Madan Man Bajracharya; accounts officer at the Department of Finance (DoF) Yubraj Adhikary, senior assistant at the DoF Tarini Raj Dahal and assistant at the Department of Marketing Management Ganesh Kumar Ghimire. Both the employees unions of the Corporation have welcomed the measures to scrutinise the irregularities and to punish the guilty.
In a joint statement, Shalik Ram Acharya, president of the employees association, and Ganga Prasad Acharya, general secretary of the employees union, said that both the unions welcome the formation of the study team by involving the employees of the corporation to investigate into the irregularities, leakages, red-tapism and initiate management reforms. The study team will submit its report within 45 days.
Yuvaraj Adhikary, a member of the study team, said that they would carry out investigations without any prejudice and will recommend actions against those found guilty. The involvement of the staff of the corporation is expected to make the job of the team more efficient and fair. The team will also suggest ways to control leakages as well as anomalies and distortions within the corporation. It will also give recommendations to improve passenger services. The ministry said it also expects advice on ways to increase revenue and bring about austerity.
RNAC staffers say the Corporation is neck-deep in debt, and they want anyone involved in bringing the once prestigious enterprise to the brink of collapse to book. They blame the appointment of incompetent people at the helm of the Corporation by those in power and their focus on commission for themselves instead of the wellbeing of the corporation for the dire strait the corporation is in.