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Preparations have been made for the grand inauguration of newly constructed Pokhara Regional International Airport. The Pokhara Regional international airport is going to be officially brought into operation from January 1, 2023, the first day of English New Year. According to Pokhara International Airport Civil Aviation Office, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is scheduled to inaugurate the airport amidst a grand ceremony. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel, top leaders of different political parties, industrialists, and tourism entrepreneurs would attend the inauguration, said Director of Pokhara International Airport, Bikram Gautam. All the preparations for the inauguration of the airport have reached the final phase, he added.  All crew members and passengers of the first plane landing at Pokhara International Airport would be welcomed with garlands, according to the Pokhara International Airport Civil Aviation Office. Similarly, the inauguration programme would start from 11:00 am and the celebration programme is scheduled after 2:00 pm. The inauguration programme would be made grand by organising different processions, fashion shows at coordination of Pokhara Metropolitan City and Pokhara Tourism Council, mentioned Gautam. Pokhara metropolis has said a variety of programmes as cultural tableaus of various ethnic communities, felicitation programme, cultural performances and celebration would be organized on the occasion. Various personalities, including Shankar Raj Pathak, who conceptualized the construction of an international airport in Pokahara, would be felicitated. The Pokhara Metropolitan City had carried out a cleaning programme from the Lakeside up to Kotre on December 28 targeting the inauguration. Stating that the Pokhara International Airport is a matter of pride for the city, Mayor Dhanaraj Acharya insisted on making the inauguration programme grandiose and systematic. “The Pokhara International Airport is not only the dream of the Pokharelis (dwellers of Pokhara) for many decades, but it is the ‘lifeline’ of the entire western region of the country. The efficient operation of the airport is going to be important,” he said, adding that the metropolis is carrying out works to make the inauguration a grand occasion. Mayor Acharya informed that various sub-committees have been formed for this.  According to him, the airport is going to be a milestone for the promotion of tourism not only in Pokhara but the entire country, so the message of its inauguration should be spread throughout the world. The direct air connectivity with international cities would contribute more in the promotion of Pokhara. All the domestic flights would be conducted from the Pokhara airport from the day of its opening. The private airlines companies have made preparations including setting up offices for starting flights from the new airport. The Buddha Air, Saurya Airlines and Yeti Airlines have already conducted successful test flights. Construction of an international airport in Pokhara has been a dream of the Pokhara folks for five decades and it has been realized now. The operation of the international airport has elated the Pokhara dwellers and the tourism entrepreneurs and kindled hope that it would open the door to prosperity of Pokhara. “Pokhara is a major tourism destination in the country and the tourism industry is definitely going to be benefitted from the operation of the international airport. Hence, the excitement especially among the tourism entrepreneurs here,” said Pom Narayan Shrestha, President of Pokhara Tourism Council. He expressed the confidence that tourist arrival to the town will increase with the operation of the international airport, giving a boost to the tourism sector marred by COVID pandemic. Shrestha said the tourism entrepreneurs, investors and businessmen are all happy in the hope that it will revive tourism. The Pokhara Regional International Airport is constructed by the Chinese construction company – CAMCE. The airport was handed over to Nepal during the visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in April last year. Some works of the airport were remaining at that time.

The country’s weather is likely to remain partly to generally cloudy in the coming week. The influence of westerly wind is likely to cause partial to general changes in the mountainous belt and bring light snowfall in the hilly areas. The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said that light rain is possible at one or two places of hilly region of Province 1, Gandaki Province, Karnali Province and Sudur Paschim Province while chances of light snowfall are at a few places of high mountainous region of the country today. The Department further said that there will be light partly to generally cloudy in the hilly regions of the country while the weather will be partly cloudy to mainly fair in the rest of the country tonight. Light rain is possible at one or two places of hilly regions of Province 1, Gandaki Province, Karnali Province and Sudur Paschim Province Chances of light snowfall at a few places of high mountainous region of the country tonight, according to the Department. The Department has urged one and all to remain cautious of the complications brought out by the changes in weather conditions. According to the recent updates, today the Kathmandu Valley recorded a minimum temperature of 4.0 degree Celsius and maximum 16.2 degree Celsius.

The influence of westerly wind is likely to cause partial to general changes in the mountainous belt and bring light snowfall in the hilly areas of the Province-1 and Sudurpaschim Province. Likewise, partial changes would occur in the mountainous belt of other provinces owing to the effects in the country's weather systems, said the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. The Department further informed that light snowfall was likely to take place in the hilly region of the province-1 in the coming 24 hours. Some parts of Terai would see foggy weather conditions which may also affect the normal lives. The Department has urged one and all to remain cautious of the complications brought out by the changes in weather conditions. According to the recent updates, today Kathmandu Valley would have a minimum 3.8 degree Celsius and maximum 18.5 degree Celsius.  

The Health Ministry of Uzbekistan on Tuesday said 18 children, with acute respiratory disease, have died from taking excessive doses of a cough syrup, Doc-1 Max, manufactured by Marion Biotech, an Indian firm, The Hindu reported. The children consumed “excessive amounts” of the cough syrup, which contained ethylene glycol, a substance that ought not to be present in cough syrup. This comes days after a parliamentary panel in The Gambia found “unacceptable levels” of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol in cough syrups made by Haryana-based Maiden Pharma. Here, the cough syrups were linked to instance of acute kidney injury that is believed to be responsible for the deaths of at least 63 children. India’s health ministry officials said they were “aware” of the report from Uzbekistan but declined comment. “To date, 18 out of 21 children with acute respiratory disease have died as a result of taking Doc-1 Max syrup... It was found that deceased children took 2.5-5 ml of the drug at home for 2-7 days, 3-4 times a day, which exceeds the standard dose of the drug for children. All children were given the drug without a doctor’s prescription. Since the main component of the drug is paracetamol, Doc-1 Max syrup was incorrectly used as an anti-cold remedy on the recommendation of the pharmacy sellers and this was the reason for the deterioration of the condition of the patients… preliminary laboratory studies have shown that this series of Doc-1 Max syrup contains ethylene glycol. This substance is toxic and about 1-2 ml/kg of a 95% concentrated solution can cause serious changes in the patient’s health, such as vomiting, fainting, convulsions, cardiovascular problems and acute kidney failure.” “Tablets and syrups of the drug Doc-1 Max are withdrawn from sale in all pharmacies of the country in a prescribed manner,” reads the translation of the statement from Uzbekistan’s Health Ministry, according to The Hindu. Following the World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) warning on October 5, linking four syrups to the deaths in The Gambia, Maiden Pharma’s export licence has been suspended. However, India has said that the WHO has drawn a “premature link” between the deaths of the children and the India-made cough syrups.