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There are 56 airports in the country. Of these, three are international, 10 are regional, and 43 are in the hilly districts. Likewise, Nijgadh International Airport in Bara, and the airports in Arghakhanchi, Achham and Kalikot, are at different stages of construction.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), air service has reached 46 out of 77 districts in the country so far. This data shows that the government is actively engaged in constructing airports. However, the state-owned aviation regulator and airport operator seems indifferent towards operating the constructed airports. Airfields in 12 districts have turned into grazing grounds due to a lack of flights. Small aircraft operate flights to some remote STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) airfields in the country. However, even this service is not reliable at present.

Nepal Airlines is providing services to some remote hilly districts. However, the state-owned carrier has only two Twin Otter aircraft for domestic flights. Currently, both planes are grounded due to technical issues.

Hansa Raj Pandey, the spokesperson and deputy director general of CAAN, said that air service was not being effective due to the lack of an integrated transport policy. “Air service falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. It should now be linked with transportation because foreign tourists are not the only ones who travel by air,” he added.

No flights after 14 years of operation

NAC operated flights to an airfield in Badachaur of Lungri-5, Rolpa regularly for 14 years. However,it stopped flights to the remote airfield in the 1990s. The Badachaur airfield has not seen any flight since that time. Despite this, the political leadership has shown little interest in resuming flights to the airfield.

“We have requested the federal government to resume flights to the airfield. They have been paying lip service only,” Bharat Kumar Thapa, chairperson of Lungri Rural Municipality, said. “We learned from the budget for the fiscal year 2024/25 that the Badachaur airfield will be upgraded. We are yet to receive further details.”

Thapa said that the number of tourists to Swargadwari in Pyuthan, Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve in Baglung, and the Jaljala region of Rolpa could increase once flights to Badachaur become regular.

Irregular flights

Sher Bahadur Thapa from Tamghas, Gulmi, booked a flight to Resunga airfield from Kathmandu earlier this week. He was excited as the air service reduces travel time from an entire day to just 40 minutes. However, Thapa could not fly. Although the Twin Otter aircraft of Nepal Airlines took off from Kathmandu airport, it returned after 15 minutes citing a technical problem.

“We were told by the pilot that the flight was being turned back due to low visibility. Only after landing were we told that there was a technical problem,” Thapa said.

NAC has been operating scheduled flights to Resunga airfield since April last year. The airline initially operated two flights a week but soon increased the frequency to four flights a week.

However, the flight has now become uncertain as both Twin Otter aircraft of NAC remain grounded.

NAC Spokesperson Ramesh Poudel said both aircraft are likely to be airborne after repairs this week. “We lose Rs 600,000 per day if these aircraft serving 20 remote airfields are grounded,” Poudel added.

Private airlines also interested

Former Spokesperson of the Airline Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN), Yograj Kandel, said private carriers have also been requesting the government to operate flights to remote airfields. “Tara Air is interested in operating flights to Resunga airfield in Gulmi. The airfare could be about Rs 300 higher compared to NAC,” he said. “Tara Air is positive about operating daily flights.”

NAC currently charges Rs 7,500 for Resunga flights.

Former Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation Sudan Kirati said many airfields are turning into grazing grounds for cattle due to a lack of flights. “Public service delivery has been affected due to frequent changes in government and political instability,” Kirati said. “People in remote areas have been deprived of air service due to a lack of aircraft in NAC’s fleet.”

Pandey from CAAN said there is not much demand for flights to some remote airfields due to the construction of roads.

Yashaswi Pragya Pratisthan, Nepal has scheduled to host the 3rd Kathmandu Kalinga Literary Festival in Kathmandu with over 300 writers, poets and experts from Nepal, India, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka on Sept 7 and 8. As per the press release the central theme of the Festival will be ‘The Gateways to Asian Art, Culture and Literature’. As per Ranjana Niraula, founder, director and curator of the Kathmandu Kalinga Literary Festival, the grand literary extravaganza shall bring in writers, thinkers, and experts from all the provinces of Nepal as well as revered authors, and artists from India and beyond.

As per the press release, “The collaboration will strengthen the cultural dialogue, religious as well as literary perspective and prolonged relations between Nepal and India and South Asian Countries. Over 300 writers from Nepal, India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka will join the festival.”

“Third Kathmandu Kalinga Literary Festival will showcase literature, music, dance, poetry and other art forms. It will be a lifetime experience for the lovers of literature, music, dance, art, poetry. The Festival will celebrate the long-standing ties between Nepal and India and South Asian countries in the context of the emerging global cultures,” said KLF Founder and Director, Rashmi Ranjan Parida.   

“Overall, Nepal’s contribution to global civilization is significant and diverse, reflecting the country’s unique cultural heritage, natural resources, and strategic location,” said Niraula.

International Booker Prize-winning author Geetanjali Shree, acclaimed writers Jerry Pinto, Mrinal Pandey, Paul Sukirta Kumar, Maria Goreti, Usha Uthup, Yatindra Mishra, Gurcharan Das, Uday Prakash, Yatish Kumar, Kanishk Gupta, Ranjit Rae, and others from India will join the festival. From Nepal Legendary poet and folklore expert Prof. Abhi Subedi, Tulasi Diwasa, Dr Jagman Gurung, Ashesh Malla, SJB Rana, Bishow Parajuli, CK Lal, Rohini Rana, Dhirendra Premarshi, Dr Usha Thakur, Prof. Dr Beena Paudel and over 300 writers will join Kathmandu KLF as speakers. 

From the 3rd edition, Kathmandu-Kalinga Literary Festival introduces Yashaswi Book Awards to five writers from 15 categories.

Giri Bandhu Tea Estate Pvt. Ltd claimed that it has taken exemptions to the limit as per the prevailing law for tea farming in the family’s private land.

Saying that Giri Bandhu is their private property, Giri Bandhu Tea Estate by organizing a press conference in Jhapa on Wednesday claimed that it has taken exemptions to the limit as per the prevailing law for tea farming.

Giri Bandhu Tea Estate Chairman Chatra Giri objected to the misinformation being spread on social media like the government had given the land to Giri Bandhu for free.

Giri claimed that Giri Bandhu had expanded the tea cultivation before the implementation of the Land Act in 2021.

Though the government had allowed only to keep 500 bigha land, he said that Giri Bandhu now has only 390 bigha land.

He said that the settlement in the place, where the company was established in 1963, has been expanded and developed as the Birtamode market at present. Hence, the fertility of the land decreased.

Giri said that the tea production decreased by 70 percent which had its direct impact on the livelihood of the tea workers.

As the locals started mounting pressure on us to remove the tea farm from the area, he clarified that bowing to the pressure they filed an application to swap Giri Bandhu’s land with plots elsewhere in the province.

On December 25, 2021, Baburam Kandel from Butwal was suggested by his friend from his village to join Hyper Fund, an online networking business.

Without thinking much about the new trade, he joined the bandwagon of digital business - only expecting the windfall.

Initially, Kandel invested USD 1,000 (equivalent to Rs 135,161.80 as per the current foreign exchange rate) but just in the next four months, he was drawn deeper into the scheme. 

Kandel could draw some returns in the beginning which provided him a ground to engage further in the business. It evidently grew his enticement.

The people in the nexus would arrange Zoom meetings frequently with promises of more returns in case of more investments. The man who has turned 40 ended up investing personally around USD 10,000 in the Fund (equivalent to Rs 1,351,618.00).

It did not take a long time to result into the carrot and stick: He was encouraged in the beginning but gradually got bound to lose his savings to the scam. He conned his down line members as well.

Kandel reports that such scammers are now busy spreading their tentacles in the name of other online networking such as 'SBG global', MMIT, V-TABS, V-LIFE, and so on.  

Kandel, who is currently living in the Maldives, shared that a large number of victims are hesitating to come forward to speak up about the fraud for fear that police would apprehend them for their involvement in the scam. 

In the same light, Ranjana Shrestha, a Nepali nurse who has been living in the UK for over 18 years suffered multiple setbacks- economic, mental, and social- after losing millions of rupees. She squandered the money even from family members, friends, and colleagues to the business that turned into a disastrous scam. She was convinced by a friend of her spouse to invest in the fund on August 5, 2021, believing in his sincerity. Unaware that it was a scam, she persuaded her family members in Nepal to invest as well, hoping for rewarding proceeds.

Additionally, she also managed to persuade her colleagues to invest, and due to her reputable standing, she recruited several people and down liners. Gradually, she managed to persuade more of her family members and relatives to pour in money with full trust. Whenever she checked the website, she felt reassured as she tallied her deposits, believing that she would withdraw and use them at her convenience and need in future.

However, she and her down liners have not taken out any of the investments they poured in.

Horror struck, she said she is a part of a community that has also fallen victim to the scam and is hopeful for the support of the Nepal Police to recover their investments. "Although the financial loss can be quantified, the emotional, psychological, and social impact is immeasurable," she shared the plight.

She and others in similar situations aim to raise awareness to prevent others from becoming victims of illegal financial schemes. The individual, in collaboration with her spouse, regularly attends meetings with other victims of this scam to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice. "I am dedicated to supporting all affected down line members and will be with them until achieving justice for all victims," she said. 

Such stories of gullibility and playing Russian roulette do not cease. DB Thapa, who has the experience of working at the civil engineering department for an airport in Dubai for 20 years, recently approached the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) with a complaint against the HyperFund operators. Thapa reportedly lost Rs 1.95 million including his family members in the scam.  He joined the scheme in August 2021 and came to know that it was just a 'Scam' after facing obstruction to access the withdrawal in April 2022.

The withdrawals were suspended and we (he was referring to his group members) realized that it was a Scam.  As he said, they were told that their investments were safe till 2025 and the company was offering the biggest IPO. 

He alleged that Nepali national Devi Pokhrel aka Roshan Pokhrel was engaged in sharing with the Nepalis about the shedloads of income from the scheme and it was Lalit Kumar Neupane, one of the masterminds, behind duping the Nepali citizens.

The UK-based networking business has its cabals globally. He accused the involvement of some other people such as Yogendra Milan Chhantyal and Kumar Gurung in luring and duping the Nepalis.

Thapa estimated the total loss suffered by Nepalis globally to exceed Rs 700 billion, leading to significant mental, social, and economic shocks on the victims. 

Victims coming together

The people who have suffered at the hands of the HyperFund operators meet through Zoom meetings regularly, share their pains, and console each other with the determination to make the public aware of the scammers' machinations and business.  Kandel says we need cooperation from the Nepal Police and Nepali media so that we can get justice.  He wants the Nepal Police to check on all sorts of 'illegal transactions' from Nepal to the countries, which, as he argued, may be taking place in the form of legal online wallets.

Option for lodging complaint Online

Spokesperson and Information Officer for the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police, Superintendent of Police Hobindra Bogati, says they have so far apprehended one person Nanu Ghimire aka Kajal from Lalitpur who is accused of orchestrating fraud under the guise of HyperFund.

It has been reported that scammers would approach victims through Zoom meetings, luring them to invest just USD 1,000  with the promise of returning over Rs 300,000 (3,000 US dollars) promptly in Nepal. The fraud is assisted by blockchain technology.

To date, the CIB has received complaints from 56 people of fraud over 79.05 million USD (79,538,651). As Bogati said, the website HyperFund would present high ratings by provoking people to like it more and more.

He urged the alleged victims to visit the official website of CIB https://cib.nepalpolice.gov.np/ and lodge a complaint via the Gmail ID that is featured on its site. "The CIB has provided an online option for registering the complaint."

According to Bogati, though joining an illegal online business is an offense and punishable by law, the Nepal Police assures that they will not be treated as defendants.

Understanding the circumstances, we have acknowledged that the alleged victims were duped into the scam and thus will not be held liable.

However, the Nepal Rastra Bank, the central bank regulator, has issued a statement mentioning clearly that all kinds of virtual currency, cryptocurrency including stablecoins, network marketing and HyberFund are illegal in Nepal, and any kind of transaction, use, involvement, membership, investment, ownership and mining are subject to legal action.