An official at the ministry said the decision of releasing the amount was taken last week after Nepal Army warned the ministry about the possibility of all VIP flights coming
to a complete halt soon if urgent repairs were not done immediately.[break]
However, the amount earmarked by the ministry was far less than what was demanded by Nepal Army for the maintenance of its airplanes and helicopters. The NA wants Rs 800 million to bring all its helicopters and aircraft back into operation.
“We have demanded the budget from the government and we expect that they understand the urgency for repairing the choppers to cope up with unexpected and emergency situations, NA spokesperson Brigadier General Ramindra Chhetri told Republica.
According to the NA, the helicopters and aircraft that are currently in operation are just enough to carry out routine army and civilian flights. The country will face big trouble in the lack of helicopters if an emergency situation like natural calamities requiring immediate rescue arises, said the official.
Last week, Nepal Army had proposed a ten-year plan seeking among other things Rs 55 billion for the purpose of purchasing over a dozen choppers and two fixed-wing aircraft for increasing its air mobility for rapid actions. The NA has demanded Rs 118 billion from the government for capital expenditure that includes purchase of Armed Personnel Carriers, rifles and transport equipment, among other logistics.
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