Nepalis are giving up on the country and flying out of Tribhuvan International Airport by the thousands every day. One recent morning, Birendra Basnet was on seat 17A of an ATR-72 flight to Biratnagar.&nbsp; In these cynical times, Basnet is a shining example that individual persistence, ingenuity and vision can contribute to the nation’s economic growth. He employs 1,500.&nbsp; He was flying on <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=14200">Buddha Air</a>, which he established 26 years ago, and has today grown to become Nepal’s biggest airline. The carrier is now cruising on autopilot, leaving Birendra Basnet time to focus on his other passion: agriculture.&nbsp; It is not a small backyard garden that Basnet is interested in, but large-scale mechanised agro-industry. His goal is to dramatically raise farm productivity and to serve as a model for the rest of Nepali agricultural enterprise.&nbsp; Basnet's Arju Rice Mill, in Morang, buys rice from local farms -- including his own -- to process and produce 80,000 tonnes of rice a year.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024032509030_c08f0daa3cd2166fae64e7eeb3e983b9199e146beff23458e86330ff21a86b45.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2024032509030_c08f0daa3cd2166fae64e7eeb3e983b9199e146beff23458e86330ff21a86b45" data-rendition-name="original" width="1912" height="971" loading="lazy" alt="Arzoo Rice Mill"> <figcaption>Basnet's Arju Rice Mill in Morang.</figcaption> </figure>  “There are big obstacles to doing business in Nepal, but that is a given,” Basnet explains, gesturing animatedly. “Everyone faces the same challenges, the question is what are you doing to get past those hurdles?”&nbsp; Indeed, after his success in the airline business, Birendra Basnet feels he can transform agriculture to make Nepal self-sufficient in rice again. Every year, Nepalis consume 140kg of rice per capita.&nbsp; Basnet has so far ploughed Rs500 million of his money into his agriculture enterprise, and hopes Arju will go into profit starting next year. Read also: <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/productivity-empowerment-and%20job-with-mechanization-and-cooperative-in-agriculture,2378">"Nepal’s quiet green revolution"</a>, Sonia Awale “I could have done anything with that money, why did I take the risk to invest in agriculture?” Basnet asks, rhetorically. “To show that it works. Our community enterprise model buys directly from farmers and not from middlemen. This has helped subsistence farmers of the eastern Tarai make a profit for the first time. Every rural municipality in Nepal could adopt this formula.” &nbsp; Eighty percent of Nepalis depend on farming, and if they could get fair prices for their produce it would help them out of poverty. Basnet asserts that Nepal has to move away from its current crony-capitalism, with its winner-takes-all system. What is ideal is a culture where social entrepreneurs look not at a bigger slice of the pie for themselves, but to make the pie bigger.&nbsp; Basnet now wants to expand the community enterprise model to other agricultural products like oranges from Bhojpur, apples from Jumla, and ginger from Salyan. He also envisions developing a network of cold storage centres, solar powered, that preserve products so farmers are not forced to sell when prices are low. While Basnet is frustrated with the bureaucratic hurdles that put off entrepreneurs wanting to take a chance in Nepal, he says there are many little-known success stories of those who have persevered and realised their dreams.&nbsp; “The reason I am optimistic about Nepal is that public outrage will find outlets in alternative politics and spawn leaders who are passionate about genuine change and action, instead of just talking,” he says. “For that, people like us have to be more involved.” Meanwhile, back at Buddha Air, Basnet has decided to give up his plans to expand to remote areas through short takeoff and landing (STOL) fields. The carrier is also retiring two ATR-42s models from its fleet, replacing them with the newer ATR-72 600s.&nbsp; Last week, Buddha Air got top credit ratings from the credit agency ICRA Nepal for its strategy of ‘controlled business performance’ rather than risky expansion post-Covid. Buddha has 67% of the domestic market share, up from 56% last year, and has benefited from the poor state of inter-city highways in Nepal.&nbsp; The airline’s provisional revenue was Rs3.83 billion last year, flying 7.1 million passengers within Nepal, &nbsp;on 150 daily flights.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/pokhara-will-be-a-game-changer">"Pokhara will be a game changer"</a>

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Flying and farming

Last week, Nepal’s digital media highlighted the news that a Buddha Air flight from Kathmandu to Nepalganj ended up landing in Dhangadi. Many readers did a double-take because they were misled by a sensational title which suggested that somehow the crew had got the destination wrong. Not that such mistakes have not happened in the past, but this was a simple diversion due to poor visibility at Nepalganj. Many Nepali media outlets lack aviation literacy, mistaking aircraft models, getting technical details wrong, or using incorrect aviation terminology, for example calling a normal ‘go around’ procedure an ‘overshoot’ which is actually a runway excursion by an aircraft.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231210071220_90d298964e8c0e99803549a499b1f8f6a38718ed7d34be536e8bf141a2f89fc2.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20231210071220_90d298964e8c0e99803549a499b1f8f6a38718ed7d34be536e8bf141a2f89fc2" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1125" loading="lazy" alt="airline visibility 2"> </figure>  The Kathmandu-Nepalganj flight U4451 was operated by one of Buddha’s ATR-72s and was approaching Nepalganj after a 40 minute flight from Kathmandu when the runway visibility dropped to below minima. The flight crew then decided to land at the alternate airport, Dhangadi which had better visibility and was only 20 minutes away. A Shree Airlines CRJ700 from Kathmandu to Nepalganj also diverted to Dhangadi for the same reason. Both aircraft returned and landed in Nepalganj after the visibility improved there after a few hours. As winter sets in, flights are sometimes cancelled due to poor visibility, but more common are delays due weather conditions. This also leads to traffic congestion at Kathmandu airport, as domestic and international flights have to make instrument approaches, thus leading to mounting delays in arrivals and departures throughout the day. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/onset-of-winter-leads-to-flight-delays">Onset of winter leads to flight delays</a>, Nepali Times In winter, visibility below minimum at airports is caused by temperature inversion that traps polluted air at ground level. Inversion is especially pronounced in the mornings in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Tarai airports. In fact, at the peak of winter, the entire Indo-Gangetic plains including the Tarai is blanketed by thick fog that does not lift for days. “Passengers are understandably inconvenienced for having to wait for hours at the airport because of<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/air-jam/" target="_blank"> the congestion</a> caused by bad weather, but the airlines have to stick to safety protocols and it is beyond their control,” explains Buddha Air’s Dipendra Karna. It is when Kathmandu has to operate under instrument flying rules (IFR) when visibility falls below 2km that the delays have a domino effect throughout the day. Incoming flights have to hold for an hour or more, and this means outbound flights are also delayed. Under IFR procedures, incoming flights to Kathmandu can only land from the south on the airport’s only runway, and since the taxiway does not extend till the threshold of the 02 end of the runway, incoming planes have to be spaced up to 7 minutes apart. International flights sometimes have to divert to alternate airports like Delhi or Kolkata because Bhairawa and Pokhara airports is not yet open for diversions. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/business/domestic-aviation-flies-into-headwind">Domestic aviation flies into headwind</a>, Nepali Times  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231211041248_588ea32381eae6b1cbce819d333c8394c08e0eca724c513fad2beb68b03d2264.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20231211041248_588ea32381eae6b1cbce819d333c8394c08e0eca724c513fad2beb68b03d2264" data-rendition-name="original" width="1600" height="900" loading="lazy" alt="Buddha Air NT"> <figcaption>Buddha Air has a weather map of Nepal at Kathmandu domestic airport departure lounge with live web cam videos of main airports in the country showing visibility. </figcaption> </figure>  Biratnagar, Bhairawa and Nepalganj also face cancellations and delays in winter because of the north Indian fog mixed with smog. Sometimes flights from Kathmandu to Nepalganj will not be able to fly even if it is clear at the destination because visibility at the alternate airport is below minima. “Biratnagar may be open, but if Janakpur or Rajbiraj are closed due to visibility, the flight cannot take off from Kathmandu,” says Karna. Domestic flights on trunk routes now have a better chance of flying on time if it is a night flight.&nbsp; Weather-related delays are unavoidable because safety comes first, but operations could be improved with better navigational aids like Instrument Landing System (ILS) or RNAV satellite-based approach guidance.

Air passengers at mercy of winter delays

With increased mobility and many Nepali parents working overseas, there has been a spurt in unaccompanied minors as passengers on domestic flights.
Most international airlines have special protocols to guide children travelling alone to their destinations, and in Nepal <a href="https://www.buddhaair.com/" target="_blank">Buddha Air</a> has announced similar provisions. The carrier provides the service to children from 5 to 12, and children below five must be accompanied by parents or an adult guardian.
It can be both exciting and intimidating for children flying alone, on their way to boarding school or to join relatives in the city. This anxiety is shared by their parents and guardians as well.&nbsp;
Travelling alone, however, can also be an enriching experience for children who learn to develop independence and confidence as well as broaden their exposure. &nbsp;
Buddha Air is Nepal’s largest domestic carrier, and has <a href="https://www.buddhaair.com/special-assistance/um-below-12-years" target="_blank">three categories for unaccompanied minors:</a>
Children under 5 are not permitted to travel alone and they must be accompanied by a trusted adult or at least one parent. An accompanying adult must be of 18 years or older.&nbsp;
Children between 5-12 must be accompanied by a passenger who is of 18 years or older. However, if they are traveling alone, prior information must be provided to the airline and the procedures for unaccompanied minor travel must be fulfilled.&nbsp;
From 12 years and above the child is allowed to travel alone, but if they require assistance guardians will have to follow the same procedure as for unaccompanied minors. &nbsp;
Prior information must be provided at the time of booking that unaccompanied minor service is required. A child younger than 12 years of age will be considered an unaccompanied minor even if he or she is accompanied by a passenger who is 13 to 18 years of age.
Buddha Air’s procedures only apply to domestic flights, and the carrier will not handle the transfer of an unaccompanied minor from the domestic terminal to the international terminal in Kathmandu for connecting flights. &nbsp;
The parent or guardian is required to fill in three copies of the “Unaccompanied Minor Form”. If the minor is travelling to two destinations, two sets of forms need to be filled in.&nbsp;
On the aircraft, minors will not be allocated seats next to emergency exits. The child will be seated next to an adult who is 18 years or older. An unaccompanied minor is usually pre-boarded if possible and handed over to cabin crew who signs and returns a copy of the form.&nbsp;
Before disembarking, the crew hands over the minor along with the necessary travel documents to ground staff, who signs another copy of the form.&nbsp;
In case of diversion due to weather or other issues, a female staff of Buddha Air will stay with the unaccompanied minor in the hotel until the departure. Parents or guardians are required to be duly informed.&nbsp;
At the destination, a customer service agent hands over the child to the guardian or parent after thorough verification with photo ID. They will then sign the final copy of the form.&nbsp;
Airlines advise parents and guardians to brief minors before flights with basic tips on security check, on board behaviour, and staying in touch. Parents are also required to keep all identification and contact information in the person of the unaccompanied minor. &nbsp;

Making flying child’s play

There has been a revision of safety protocols for flying in the monsoon in Nepal after the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/chopper-hits-mountain-near-everest" target="_blank">latest crash of a helicopter</a> near Mt Everest on 11 July. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) grounded all helicopter flights after the crash that killed five Mexican passengers and the Nepali pilot, but some rescue flights have resumed during the lean tourist season. While <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/keeps-happening" target="_blank">CAAN is trying to more strictly implement</a> its rule about only flying under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) in flights to and from airfields in the mountains without navigational aids, private airlines have been taking their own measures. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/60-years-of-living-dangerously" target="_blank">Data scraped by Nepali Times</a> from multiple sources show that more than 90% of fatalities in crashes in the past 60 years in Nepal have happened when planes fly into mountains hidden by clouds. And nearly all of what are technically known as <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/pokhara-jomsom-flight-with-22-missing" target="_blank">Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)</a> incidents have occurred in the three monsoon months of July, August and September – and most of them have happened on approach or after takeoff. Interestingly, almost all of these accidents have happened in flights on mountain routes, very few have been due to mechanical problems and none have occurred in the Tarai in the past six decades. This is why CAAN and private operators have been trying to strictly enforce VFR protocols that absolutely forbids pilots from flying into clouds even briefly while flying in mountain airfields not equipped with navaids. “High terrain and unpredictable mountain weather make flying in the Himalaya the most challenging in the world,” admits Manoj KC, a 22-year veteran of Buddha Air with more than 17,000 flight hours. “However, the risk can be minimised by strictly following rules and adhering to protocols.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230724130752_3412cad34c25992c6aea66b05a2e8890abe208ae9cd35669da7f025cf3e12049.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20230724130752_3412cad34c25992c6aea66b05a2e8890abe208ae9cd35669da7f025cf3e12049" data-rendition-name="original" width="1962" height="1264" loading="lazy" alt="Manjo KC"> </figure>  Buddha Air is Nepal’s largest domestic airline with 16 ATR-72 and -42 aircraft, and besides international and CAAN safety regulations it also has in place its own extra steps to ensure that flight crew are prepared for monsoon flying conditions. Nepal’s pre-monsoon in April-May-June has rapidly developing buildups with strong updrafts, thunderstorms, hail and high winds. In the monsoon months of July-August-September clouds and heavy rain can reduce visibility as well as make runways slippery or water-logged. Winter brings fog at airports in the Tarai and in mountain valleys as well as ice and snow in the higher reaches. However, it is in the monsoon that more attention is needed. Buddha Air, for instance, has a monsoon briefing for flight crew before the start of the rainy season with safety reminders and long term forecasts. Buddha air also has a flight dispatch centre at the domestic airport where a Japanese software gives critical go, no-go information about various airports in real time. “The system helps us not just track our fleet, but also up to date weather conditions at airports,” explains Buddha Air’s flight dispatcher Umesh Khadka. CAAN also inspects aircraft tyres more frequently during the monsoon so their treads are intact to prevent skidding on wet runways, and wipers are also a part of the Minimum Equipment List (MEL). Buddha Air designs its own procedures when starting operations to new airports like Surkhet and Tumlingtar, taking into account all contingencies, including poor visibility during the monsoon. For Tumlingtar, for example, its engineers did a drone survey of the runway, plotted obstruction and terrain before verifying performance of ATR-72s on simulators even before the first proving flight. “We only started flying to Tumlingtar after all the procedure turns and decision points were double checked,” explains Manoj KC who flies ATR-72s. &nbsp;Only in the past month, three Tumlingtar flights have diverted back to Kathmandu because of sub-optimal visibility. Buddha Air is now lobbying to have new satellite based Area Navigation (RNAV) for more precise navigation in Surkhet and Tumlingtar, as well as Pokhara which has an Instrument Landing System (ILS). CAAN switched its radar coverage to Bhatte Danda, which covers more of the country but the new system does not plot weather systems like the older radar. This means air traffic controllers now cannot give planes waiting to take off more precise information about the location of storm cells. Pilots have to rely on the plane’s own radar which can track weather only after takeoff. In some cases, airline crew are pressured by passengers to fly because they are in a hurry to reach their destinations. This is why Buddha Air has installed at its departure terminals a Flightradar 24 map showing the live position of its flights, as well as webcam images of destination airports. The carrier says this has helped passengers better understand why there can be delays or even cancellations due to bad weather. Because many of the mishaps in the past have also happened due to pilots not knowing what en route weather is like, CAAN has installed live webcams on critical high passes like Ghorepani on the Pokhara-Jomsom route, and Lamjura on the Lukla-Kathmandu route. More are planned. Says Buddha’s Manoj KC: “We strictly follow safety procedures so that even airline management, government officials or passengers cannot pressure us to fly when weather parameters enroute or at departure and destination airports are no-go.”&nbsp;

Making monsoon flying safer in Nepal

As a part of its effort to address safety concerns and to adhere to international norms, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) now requires domestic airlines operating planes with a maximum takeoff weight (TOW) above 20 tonnes to adopt the Flight Data Analysis Program (FDAP). Safety in aviation is determined by many factors such as technology, crew training, regulatory frameworks, monitoring of procedures, and management. This is especially important in Nepal, where flying is already challenging due to the rugged Himalayan terrain, extreme and unpredicatable weather and inadequate navaid at airports. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) defines safety as a state in which risk associated with aviation activities are maintained at or below acceptable level through continuous process of hazard identification and risk management. Safety therefore depends directly on proactive risk management before they cause a significant incident. And this is where Flight Data Analysis Program (FDAP) comes into play since it is a systematic process to monitor and analyse data from an aircraft's flight data recorder (FDR) and or Quick Access Recorder (QAR). This information can then be used to identify potential safety hazards, deviations and operating context to improve overall flight safety. ICAO mandates air operators with aircrafts that carry a maximum of 27 tonnes take-off weight to implement FDAP as a part of their Safety Management System (SMS).  <figure><img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230605110640_a69f4465b57004ee0220ea15c7538638e514377f2559c1a5ad45f6b3cad06d79.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20230605110640_a69f4465b57004ee0220ea15c7538638e514377f2559c1a5ad45f6b3cad06d79" data-rendition-name="original" width="1562" height="505" loading="lazy" alt="Buddha Air"></figure>  Besides FDAP, Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) and Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) is a critical aspect of Flight Safety. Nepal’s biggest domestic airline, <a href="https://www.buddhaair.com/">Buddha Air</a>, with a fleet of 16 ATRs became the first domestic carrier to implement FDAP voluntarily in 2014 even though some of its aircraft at time were below the weight threshold. Its new ATR-72 have a maximum TOW of 22,000 tonnes. This allows the carrier to monitor and analyse flight data of every flight on a daily basis, allowing technical crew to identify potential safety hazards such as operational deviations or aircraft health, which would otherwise go unnoticed, and take corrective actions. <a href="https://www.buddhaair.com/safety">Buddha Air’s FDAP</a> is based on cutting edge technology designed by the French company Safran and is capable of capturing a vast amount of data and analysing it in real-time, allowing engineers at Buddha Air to identify potential safety hazards quickly. For ATRs the system records 108 parameters and 64 events for each daily flight from engine startup to engine shutdown. Safran’s FDAP is user-friendly, with an intuitive interface that allows the flight crew to easily access and analyze data and self-visualise their flights. Deviations observed along with confidential crew feedback are then analysed to enhance safety by tracking trends and identify areas of improvement with data-driven evidence. This also reduces training costs and providing pilots and other crew with feedback on their performance. FDAP also help identify fuel-saving opportunities, reduce maintenance costs, optimise routes, and optimise maintenance schedules to reduce downtime.

Nepal’s domestic carrier adopts FDAP to enhance safety

High fuel costs and concerns about air safety have dampened growth of Nepal’s domestic aviation sector despite passenger demand remaining high. Prominent media coverage of the crash of Yeti691 in Pokhara on 15 January led to massive cancellations just as bookings were being firmed up for the spring trekking season. For one month, passenger volume dropped sharply, but is now picking up again.&nbsp; Pokhara still wears a deserted look, and tourist footfalls have fallen along popular trails in Manang and Annapurna. Even so, Nepal’s biggest domestic airline <a href="https://www.buddhaair.com/">Buddha Air</a> is making Pokhara’s newly opened international airport its new hub for cross-sector flights.&nbsp; From 9 March it is basing five planes in its all-ATR fleet of 14 aircraft in <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/pokhara-will-be-a-game-changer/">Pokhara</a> for daily early morning departures to Bhadrapur, Bharatpur, Simara, Bhairawa, Nepalganj and Kathmandu. Pokhara airport will also be opened for night flights this week. The <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-airlines-fly-high-despite-turbulence/">robust passenger demand</a> is due to the poor condition of the main highways to Pokhara from Kathmandu and Bhairawa which makes air travel attractive despite high fares. Another contributing factor is <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/business/buddha-air-spurt-in-domestic-flights/">domestic tourism</a>, as more and more young Nepalis discover their own country. “Pokhara is a game-changer,” says Buddha Air’s Managing Director Birendra Bahadur Basnet. “We are excited about Pokhara becoming our secondary hub.” Basnet’s optimism comes despite considerable headwinds from high price of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) which is now Rs170/l, more expensive cost of operations because of the strong dollar vis-a-vis the Nepali rupee, as well as difficulties in sourcing aircraft components because of continued global supply chain constraints.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230308060352_2ef1b95693b96d37b796c61291f360abd7d6e8e35b7fafaeadd754ddab2f578b.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20230308060352_2ef1b95693b96d37b796c61291f360abd7d6e8e35b7fafaeadd754ddab2f578b" data-rendition-name="original" width="960" height="640" loading="lazy" alt="Birendra Basnet"> </figure>  Added to this is air traffic congestion at Kathmandu airport, which forces planes to burn fuel on extended holding queues for landing. Buddha Air's business plan appears to focus on diversifying its operations base, pioneering new domestic inter-city routes and expanding connections to north Indian cities beyond its current thrice-weekly Kathmandu-Varanasi flights.&nbsp; The new Bhadrapur-Pokhara route, for example, hopes to tap Indian tourists from Sikkim, Darjeeling and Assam, while allowing Nepalis to fly to Indian destinations via Bagdogra bypassing Kathmandu. In anticipation of increased demand on the new routes, Buddha Air is adding two ATR-72-500s, bringing its total fleet strength to 16. “We do not have to look too far for tourists in Nepal, there is the huge Indian market right next door, we just have to make flight connections more convenient,” says Basnet. Buddha Air has been lobbying to start flights from Pokhara directly to Varanasi, Lucknow and Delhi, but the Indian authorities have raised strategic objections to Pokhara Airport being built built by the Chinese under the Belt Road Initiative (BRI) — similar to India refusing to buying electricity from hydropower plants built by Chinese contractors.&nbsp; India has also refused to allow inbound flights to Kathmandu, Pokhara and Bhairawa via routes B345 from the south and L626 from the west. Both routes are open only for outbound international flights. This means longer flight time and fares from Bhairawa and Pokhara to Indian airports.&nbsp; Even so, Basnet says the Indian side is positive about connecting Janakpur to Ayodhya, and Nepalganj to Delhi. Existing flights from Pokhara to border cities in Nepal will increase Indian pilgrim and tourist traffic, as well as give access to cheaper domestic flights within India for Nepalis via Bagdogra, Darbhanga, Faizabad or Gorakhpur. Buddha has been trying to counter the negative international publicity following the &nbsp;Pokhara crash by highlighting <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/business/taking-air-safety-seriously-in-nepal/">air safety</a> and focusing on crew training and <a href="https://www.buddhaair.com/safety">strict safety protocols</a>. It is the only domestic airline with its own fully-equipped maintenance hangar with FSTD simulators to train and check its 141 pilots. Basnet told Nepali Times, “We are concentrated minutely on safety in all departments, specially flight operations, maintenance and ground handling department.”

Domestic aviation flies into headwind

<img width="1110" height="735" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111414110/63723bff9c7e80680e0c95f3jpeg.jpg" alt=""/>Nepal’s domestic aviation has not just recovered from the pandemic, but has overtaken pre-Covid numbers in terms of total passengers carried as well as operating revenue for most carriers.But they are flying through turbulence as <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/airlines-hit-hardest-by-nepals-fuel-hike/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">high fuel price</a>s due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have suppressed profitability for the three main domestic carriers -- Buddha Air, Yeti Airlines, and Shree.“Domestic aviation in Nepal was just beginning to rebound to pre Covid-19 levels, but recent geopolitical crises have had multiplier effects on fuel prices, the key driver of inflation,” says Dipendra Karna of Buddha Air.A strong dollar, and consecutive second quarter losses this year in US stock exchange have raised fears of a recession. Interest rates on borrowings are high as Europe battles inflation, and the GBP and Euro are both at par with the USD. This global effect is already sending aftershocks in Asian economies and affecting tourism.“Geopolitical instability remains the top cited threat to global economy and inflation has overtaken volatile energy prices to become second most cited concern,” Karna adds.Even so, Nepal’s domestic airlines have seen a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/post-covid-rebound-for-nepals-airlines/">15% growth in traffic</a> with nearly 4 million passengers on routes in fiscal year 2021-22, even as Nepal’s limited airport infrastructure struggled to cope.  <img width="1038" height="516" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111414110/63723c029c7e80680e0c95f4jpeg.jpg" alt="">A recent report by the credit ratings agency ICRA Nepal of domestic operators gives Buddha Air an A- score for long-term credit, which means the company is considered to be servicing its financial obligations in a timely manner, and has low credit risk. Yeti and Shree have scored B+, meaning they are at higher risk of default. The airlines’ standings for short-term credit ratings gives Buddha an A2+, and Yeti and Shree at A4.Indeed, key financial indicators show that all three airlines are doing as well as, if not better, than pre-Covid years. Buddha Air’s operating income was Rs6.8 billion in 2018-19, dropped to Rs4.9 billion in 2019-2020, and further to only Rs3.3 billion last year.In 2021-22, operating income has rebounded to Rs7.7 billion. The OPBIDTA operating margin for Buddha Air was also a healthy 14%, although it is down from the peak of 31.8% in 2017-18 when fuel prices are lower.Buddha Air is marking 25 years of operation this week. It started operations on 11 October 1997 with a Raytheon 1900D flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara. Today, it is the biggest airline in Nepal with 16 aircraft. This Dasain saw record numbers of passengers – the unseasonal rains affected flights, but there was a higher demand for tickets because landslides blocked many highways during the holidays. Buddha Air, set a record of flying 8,835 passengers on a single day on 8 October.Yeti Airlines has also added another aircraft bought from Virgin Australia to its fleet, bringing the total to five ATR-500s. But the carrier is facing pressure from maturing debt repayment schedules for which the strong USD has not helped. The high interest rate on borrowings from Nepali banks has made the situation more precarious.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/sky-high-fuel-price-hits-nepals-tourism-airlines/">Sky high fuel price hits Nepal’s tourism, airlines</a>, Nepali Times <figure><img width="624" height="321" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111414110/63723c049c7e80680e0c95f5jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Operating Income in NPR Millions</figcaption></figure>Buddha Air has the best total debt/tangible net worth ratio among domestic airlines, although its ratio increased in 2019-20. Yeti has negative ratio in the last two consecutive years, and Shree Airlines ratio is not satisfactory either. Buddha Air also has the best ratio for total outside liabilities.Buddha Air has the best debt/OPBDITA ratio (2.21 in 2021-22) among the three operators with best financial capability on debt repayment. Buddha Air cleared all its IFC World Bank loans two years ago.Read Also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/airlines-hit-hardest-by-nepals-fuel-hike/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Airlines hit hardest by Nepal's fuel hike</a>, Nepali Times

Nepal’s airlines fly high despite turbulence

<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161156/636d1f6e9c7e80680e0af464jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="480"/>Buddha Air has increased the frequency of its flights including night flights due to increased domestic demand. Pokhara now has the most number of flights at 11 per day followed by Bharatpur and Bhairahawa at 10 each and Biratnagar and Simara have 9 and eight each respectively. Poor highway conditions, a post-lockdown economic revival and affordable fares have contributed to increased demand. Buddha has the largest domestic fleet with 15 aircraft.

Buddha Air night flights

<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161124/636d18339c7e80680e0ac7b0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2399" height="1525"/>Nepal’s rate of inflation, the price of everything from salt to gold have been at all time highs. The country is witnessing a decline in manufacturing at home, and a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-less-and-less-able-to-feed-itself/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">growing dependency on imports</a>.Nepal’s import bill for the last fiscal year reached a record Rs150 billion, of which more than 60% was for petroleum products. In contrast, the country’s total export earnings last year was only Rs21 billion.There might be more socio-economic factors driving inflation, which is expected to hit 6% this year, and in time, I am sure economists will find out what is driving it.That being said, while everything has become more expensive,<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/business/buddha-air-spurt-in-domestic-flights/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> domestic airfares in Nepal</a> have become cheaper – not just in real terms but in actual rupee amount.Back in 1999, one US dollar had an official exchange rate of Rs68. The USD-NPR rate today is Rs120 per dollar. There is now such a shortage of hard currency in the exchequer that the government has reduced the $1,500 Nepalis were allowed to exchange for travel abroad.Similarly, the price of gold has skyrocketed from Rs7,587 per 11.7 grams (1 tola) to Rs90,000.Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) used to be Rs30 per litre thirty years ago. It is now at Rs86 per litre. Even inflation has increased by 340% in that period.The main cost factor in Nepal's civil aviation is the price of ATF. Most international airlines make sure they arrive in Kathmandu with enough fuel to fly back to their home airports because the cost of refueling in Kathmandu is the highest in the world. For domestic airlines, aviation fuel makes up 40% of the operating cost.The fortunes of domestic airlines are also affected by <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/high-cost-lays-aviation-low-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">turbulence in the price of aviation fuel</a>. But since nearly everything used by domestic airlines -- from the airframe itself to spare parts and equipment and fuel – have to be imported, their costs have also shot up because of the appreciation of the US dollar.Twenty-three years ago, the salary of a branch officer at an airline was at most Rs4,500. A mere Rs100,000 could buy a ropani (500sq m) of land in Kathmandu. But in that time, the cost of an air ticket to Biratnagar, Nepalganj, Pokhara and Bhairawa is only Rs1,200 more than it used to be in the late 1990s.One might question why. The main reason is that we are now using larger turboprop aircraft which are more fuel efficient and cost less per passenger mile to operate.At present, Nepal’s domestic airlines fly more than two dozen aircraft with 40 seats or more – with Buddha Air operating more than half the fleet.Buddha Air pioneered the shift to larger turboprops in 2008 with the introduction of ATR42s, and later added the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/business/buddha-air-atr-72-to-tumlingtar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">larger ATR72s</a>.  Such a large fleet requires state of the art maintenance, and we have established our own hangar with tools and spare parts, all of which are also very important in reducing operating costs.Today, Buddha Air serves 2.5 million passengers annually and we are planning to add more planes in the short takeoff and landing (STOL) category, after which our annual passenger capacity is estimated to reach 3.5 million.<a style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/monsoon-hits-nepal-with-a-bang/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rains, floods and landslides</a> have damaged Nepal’s fragile road infrastructure, and the trend will continue as the Himalaya experiences more extreme weather events due to climate change. Similarly, traffic jams clog up the highways and it is taking longer for intercity travel within Nepal.Nepalis now have a safer, but affordable and accessible alternative mode of transport. The good news is that more<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/pokhara-will-be-a-game-changer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Nepalis all over the country can now commute by air</a> not just from Kathmandu but also between cities like Nepalganj-Pokhara, Simara-Pokhara. Buddha Air alone serves more than 8,000 domestic passengers a day in 140 flights.As the country recovers from the pandemic, air travel has now become the first choice of Nepalis from all levels and sections of society, and this is primarily because while everything else has become much more expensive in the past 30 years, the cost of air travel has not.  We would not have achieved this success if we had restricted our service to a limited number of aircraft and fewer seats.The global <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/survive-revive-thrive/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tourism industry</a> is now also picking up after two years and passengers are increasingly confident about the health protocols on board. Nepal’s domestic airlines are poised for another takeoff, boosting the prospect of Nepal’s economic revival.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/pokhara-will-be-a-game-changer/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/pokhara-will-be-a-game-changer/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1633946826045000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEZvvmSD8-dWrdQyVi5UJzGPFEv-A">Birendra B Basnet</a> is Managing Director of Buddha Air.

Now, everyone can fly

<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141124/636cfc209c7e80680e0a0b6ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="510" height="300"/>Buddha Air has commenced Pokhara-Nepalgunj flights from 1 August on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays and the number of flights will be increased as per the demand. The flight will take off from Pokhara at 9:10 AM and return from Nepalgunj at 10AM.

Buddha Air Pokhara-Nepalgunj

One smoggy winter morning in February 2019, Ekta regretted coming to her sculpture class. It was the first day of her period, and the 19-year-old wished she was home, curled up in bed with a hot water bag to soothe her cramps.
Her class was at Kalapremi Ceramic Studio, a dark room on the ground floor of a house in Maharajganj, and Ekta’s teacher was the artist Gopal Das Shrestha ‘Kalapremi’, a noted sculptor.
Two other students were already there, using all their muscle strength to knead the sculpting clay. Ekta, now 24, recalls how Kalapremi asked her if she was feeling all right. She avoided him, as she did not want everyone to know she was menstruating.
Kalapremi repeatedly asked Ekta what was wrong. She finally muttered that she was having her period, after which he grabbed her hand and led her to a partitioned corner of the studio and sat her on a chair. Before she could stop him, he slid his hand under her dress, and started massaging her abdomen.
“I was horrified,” Ekta recalls. “I told him to stop, but he didn’t listen, asking me not to be shy, saying he knew how to relieve my pain. He stopped only after I protested furiously.”&nbsp;
The art tutor then said, “You’re like my daughter. I’m doing it out of love to make you feel better, but you’re so stubborn.”&nbsp;
“Instead of saying sorry he acted like I was the one having crazy thoughts,” remembers Ekta, adding that from April 2016 to August 2020 beginning the time she was 16, the artist sexually abused and harassed her on several occasions. &nbsp;
Now, Ekta and the artist’s other former students are finally sharing their experiences and some are pressing legal charges against him, hoping that others do not have to endure what they did.&nbsp;
Award-winning artist and teacher Gopal Das Shrestha ‘Kalapremi’ (the name means ‘Art Lover’) is known for his ceramic art, sculpture, and contemporary pottery. He was <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/the-house-of-kalapremi">profiled in Nepali Times after a collaborative exhibition</a>, ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ at the Siddhartha Art Gallery three years ago.&nbsp;
His pieces, titled Gaalis, featured sculpted female figures with the heads of dogs, sheep, and donkeys (pictured) to depict derogatory terms for women. Some critics said the collection was a satire on feminists.
Kalapremi started his artistic and teaching career in 1983 and over the years taught at Bhanubhakta School, Kathmandu University School of Arts, Lalitkala Campus and at his private Kalapremi Ceramic Studio. He has also lectured at Jeonju University in South Korea and recently at Tabor Academy in the United States.
Seven of Kalapremi’s former students were interviewed for this story. Five female students said he touched them inappropriately in his studio or at Kathmandu University. Two male students said they witnessed him abuse and harass the women. In all cases, the students struggled to recognise the abuse when it occurred, and the lack of reporting systems left them to cope on their own for years.&nbsp;
Earlier this year, students shared a social media post hinting at Kalapremi’s history of abusive behaviour following which more students of the artist reached out sharing similar experiences. Some students spoke of abuse that happened as long as 20 years ago.
Kalapremi, 60, has denied the allegations. He told Nepali Times: “Some years ago, there was a movement encouraging people to hug and kiss. I used to do it purely out of friendship and love. But after seeing posts on social media last year calling out my behaviour, I realised my actions may have hurt some people. I understand now that I should have been more mindful.”
He added: “I am also an auxiliary health worker, so I know the exact points to massage to relieve menstrual pain. It’s not just menstruation, I take anyone who is ill to the hospital.”
Sexual abuse is much more rampant than reported given how difficult it is to prove it in court. The law defines sexual abuse as occuring when someone touches another’s private parts, coerces them into touching theirs, uses vulgar language, shows degrading images, or behaves indecently towards them without consent.&nbsp;
Ekta and her fellow students are consulting lawyer Suneeta Regmi Pokhrel, who says they know that even if the court decides in their favour, it is difficult to survive after speaking up, and influential men defend themselves saying they are being framed.&nbsp;
“They are in a lot of pain and weep when recalling how he abused them,” Regmi Pokhrel told us. “They are angry and have filed a case against him, but they are also terrified. They know he is a powerful man and they have seen how our society treats women who speak up against abusers. Unless people speak up, perpetrators will be emboldened.”
Art and academia in Nepal simply reflect the power imbalances in society where people with intersecting identities experience worse forms of abuse. Theatre actors Raj Kumar Pudasaini, Rajan Khatiwada, and Sunil Pokhrel were called out during the #MeToo movement in the Nepali theatre scene in 2019. Even after the allegations Pokhrel went on to receive national awards, while others continued to work without repercussions.
“If you speak up against abusers, you gradually get sidelined from projects,” explained a theatre artist who wished anonymity fearing professional setbacks. “The theatre scene in Nepal is quite small, you just have to make peace with the perpetrators and work with them if you want to sustain yourself.”&nbsp;
In academia there is a history of faculty members sexually harassing students and getting away with it. After Tribhuvan University (TU) lecturer Krishna Bhattachan was accused of harassing women students, the university said it would follow Nepal’s sexual harassment law and set up a reporting mechanism. But nothing happened to the professor, who had already retired. Instead, he counter-accused the students of 'attacking the indigenous people’s movement with baseless allegations' as <a href="https://kathmandupost.com/letters/2019/01/29/bhattachan-responds">he told the Kathmandu Post in 2019</a>. He continues to be featured as a prominent speaker including at TU.
Other faculty members previously accused of sexual harassment include Jagadish Murti Koirala from TU, Bishnu Prasad Acharya from Ratna Rajya Campus, and Bodha Raj Tripathee from Lalitpur Madhyamik Vidhyalaya. A woman staff member from TU also filed a sexual abuse complaint against Dambar Chemjong from TU.
Prominent figures like <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-rise-and-fall-of-nims-purja">mountaineer Nims Purja</a> have been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/31/sports/mountaineering-sexual-harassment-abuse-nims-purja.html">accused of sexual assault</a>, and cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane, actor <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/celebrity-rape-case-spotlights-nepal-laws">Paul Shah</a>, and former speaker of Parliament <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/mahara-arrested">Krishna Bahadur Mahara</a> have been accused of rape, but society-at-large has let off the alleged perpetrators amdist a larger debate about justice for survivors and punishment of perpetrators.&nbsp;
‘Gaushala-26’ is the court name given to the 18-year-old who accused Sandeep Lamichhane, former captain of Nepal’s national cricket team and skipper of Biratnagar Kings in the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/here-comes-the-nepal-premier-league">ongoing Nepal Premier League</a>, of rape. She left the country citing society questioning her character affecting her mental health while Lamichhane got an outpouring of support. In May, the Patan High Court overturned a prior verdict that found Lamichhane guilty of rape and had sentenced him to eight years in prison. During the 23-month legal battle to pursue justice, Gaushala-26 faced threats of gang rape and acid attacks.&nbsp;
Exhausted by the struggle, Gaushala-26 sought to “move to a new world” where she could live free without hiding her identity.
Actress Samragyee Rajya Laxmi Shah in an Instagram video now deleted detailed the harassment she faced from a filmmaker during a movie shoot. She did not name any name but veteran actor Bhuwan KC filed a defamation case against Rana, but the court ruled that the charge lacked sufficient evidence.&nbsp;
Former Kathmandu mayor <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/theytoo">Keshav Sthapit also mocked the #MeToo movement</a>, calling accusations against him by journalists Rashmila Prajapati and Ujjwala Maharjan “a rape of men’s rights”.
Serial Abuse
Back at the Kalapremi Ceramics studio, another former student, 24-year-old Rajiv, says he felt the need to speak out after seeing his female classmates being abused.&nbsp;
“He frequently kissed them on their cheeks,” he told Nepali Times. “Whenever they walked into the studio he flailed his arms like a child asking for a hug. They awkwardly hugged him from the side, but he pulled them closer, held their chin, and kissed their cheeks.”&nbsp;
Rajiv says he also saw Kalapremi pull the women’s bra straps, touch their breasts, and slap their buttocks. The young students would freeze, not knowing how to react, and if they protested, he would say it was “normal in art”. Rajiv, 19 at the time like his classmates, remembers thinking perhaps the well-respected artist was right after all.
Another student, Luna, who took lessons at Kalapremi’s studio from 2020 to 2022 did try to confront the tutor after he made an obscene proposal to her. She recalls: “One day when the other students had left the studio and it was just the two of us, he told me that God had given him special artistic talent and he could transfer those powers to me. But to do that both of us will have to be naked, inside a dark room, and have sex.”
Luna, who was 18 then, was livid and told him she did not want any of his powers, but she says he laughed at her as if he was joking. She did not tell her family about the incident because she thought no one would believe her.&nbsp;
“They were all in awe of this famous artist and felt I should be grateful that to be learning sculpting from him,” she says. “I was scared to be alone with him in case he talked about sex again. My coping mechanism was to be rude so he wouldn’t try to come close to me.”
Seeing how some classmates were standing up to Kalapremi, Ekta too tried to push back against his advances, but she said he found ways to coerce her. Since Ekta, Rajiv, and Luna could not afford Kalapremi’s Rs30,000 monthly fee for lessons, he had offered them all a stipend to assist him in the studio.
“He had spondylosis and took me to his therapy sessions to learn massage techniques, then he often made me and other students massage him,” says Ekta. Whenever she refused, he would feign pain to make her feel sorry for him. “He would insist that I put my hands under his shirt so that I could massage him better,” she adds.
The art tutor often tried to “seduce sympathy” from Ekta by sharing how he had never been loved as a child and was “sexually frustrated” as an adult.&nbsp;
“At 7PM, he would pour himself Signature whiskey and immediately go off again about how he was sex-starved. I didn’t know how to respond. It took me time to realise alcohol was just an excuse to talk about sex,” Ekta says.
If convicted, Kalapremi could face financial penalty and/or a prison sentence of up to three years according to Section 224 of National Penal (Code) Act 2017.&nbsp;
Data suggests that victims of child sexual abuse on average take nearly 24 years to tell someone about their trauma, and some may never disclose it at all.&nbsp;
“In our culture, children are rarely taught about boundaries. They often react, show anger when adults pinch their cheeks. But adults insist they did it out of love, and force the children to accept it,” says Sita Lama, a psychotherapist at Manka Kura. “And even when someone touches them inappropriately they struggle to identify and verbalise it.”
When perpetrators claim to be “acting out of love”, Lama says survivors are likely to perceive it as something safe, rather than recognising it as abuse.&nbsp;
“It may take years for them to realise they were abused,” she explains. "And even when they become aware, the power imbalance with the abuser and the associated shame often prevents survivors from speaking up."
Other former students from the School of Art at Kathmandu University have also come forward years later, saying Kalapremi sexually abused them. As young adults, they felt his behaviour was off but were uncertain if it was inappropriate, illegal, or they did not know how to respond. After having understood that it was indeed abuse, they say they are speaking out now to protect others.&nbsp;
Amina Singh, a visiting faculty member at Kathmandu University, says there is no clause against sexual abuse in contracts of teachers, and there is no formal grievance handling mechanism for the students.&nbsp;
“So the only way students can to deal with sexual abuse is approach someone they trust,” she says.
Eight other former art students of Lalit Kala Campus and Srijana College of Fine Arts of Tribhuvan University and other private art studios in Kathmandu say they were also sexually abused by their art teachers. Three faculty members interviewed from these institutions said they saw the abuse, but felt it was futile to report it given how powerful the teachers were.
In the absence of a formal system, some longtime women artists warned each other about “problematic” artists. They shared &nbsp;a “heads-up” to be more cautious when collaborating with them, and avoided responding to their calls and texts after work hours.
To ensure art institutions are safe for all, galleries, museums, artist studios, and smaller art spaces need to develop policies on sexual harassment. This would include a code of conduct or studio policies that hold the leadership accountable and outline the principles of professional ethics.&nbsp;
Students and employees should inquire about accountability mechanisms for raising concerns, both formally and informally, advocates say.
Three years after Ekta left the ceramics studio, she learnt that Kalapremi had harassed many other women. Still trying to get a footing in the art industry, she attended a workshop in Kathmandu where women artists discussed ways to stay safe in the art sector.&nbsp;
Since it was a close-knit group Ekta opened up about how she felt violated and realised she was not alone, he had been abusing underprivileged students for years, and this was common knowledge among artists in Nepal.
Ekta says that even after she quit, Kalapremi continued sending her text messages like ‘I am thinking of you’, ‘Why have you stopped speaking with me’, or ‘I am waiting for your call’.&nbsp;
But what really forced her to act was when Ekta found out that he was sending similar texts to her younger sister.&nbsp;
“I’ve had enough,” she told us. “He abused me all these years but I won’t let him abuse my sister.” &nbsp;
Ekta, Rajiv and Luna are not the real names of the students.&nbsp;

‘Art Lover’ accused of sexual abuse

It was 8:15 in the evening of 25 March 1968 when everyone in the village of Batulechaur near Pokhara heard a deafening sound like thunder as a bright flashing object hurtled down to land in a field.&nbsp; That field belonged to Kul Timilsina, and the next morning he retrieved a sheet of metal about 2m by 1m and carried it home with the help of a few others, thinking it would be useful for his buffalo shed.&nbsp; Before he died at age 83 three years ago, Timilsina had told photo archivist Sunil Ulak that the black metal sheet was not rectangular and had rounded corners. There are a few witnesses still alive who have a clear recollection of the object that fell from the sky that night.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024120707128_75cc85aac56b9cc4a77366471f058d7b3eb6868776811b0923845c2d0a61f014.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="2024120707128_75cc85aac56b9cc4a77366471f058d7b3eb6868776811b0923845c2d0a61f014" data-rendition-name="original" width="1170" height="601" loading="lazy" alt="UFO over Pokhara"> <figcaption>The field in Batulechaur belonging to Kul Timilsina where fragments of a flying object fell from the sky in 1968.</figcaption> </figure>  One of them is Timilsina’s wife Gyanu, who was 22 at the time. She had been at home, and remembers hearing the big bang and the sky becoming very bright. “We saw the thing in the field in the morning,” she told us. “It looked like a lid, a covering of some sort. The way it was stuck in the ground, it must have fallen from the sky. We thought we could use it to dry clothes on, and took it home.”&nbsp; Another witness is Kul Narayan Paudel. “I was only eight then. We ran to the field to see what had fallen. It was a four-sided metal sheet. The elders took it away, and I don't know what happened to it.” &nbsp; Ram Bahadur Baniya, a teacher at the local school, says he had heard the sheet had been brought to the school, and later handed over to the Zonal Commissioner at the time, Nanda Prasad Malla. “But that is all hearsay,” he says.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024120707128_0bf207a12063fb8155b3c8d9a00a94887b126380c9e0627527c84cf5e1101f54.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2024120707128_0bf207a12063fb8155b3c8d9a00a94887b126380c9e0627527c84cf5e1101f54" data-rendition-name="original" width="1170" height="610" loading="lazy" alt="UFO over Pokhara"> <figcaption>Gyanu Timilsina, wife of Kul Timilsina.</figcaption> </figure>  There are two versions of what happened to Kul Timilsina’s metal sheet. One is that an American Peace Corp Volunteer teaching at the nearby Bindyabasini School took it, and another is that it was handed over to the government. Recently declassified Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and US State Department documents from the time say that the US Embassy in Kathmandu tracked down the object two years later and had it shipped back to the US. A telegram from the Department of State and Department of Defense tagged as ‘MOON DUST / Space Fragments’ dated 1 March 1972 stated: ‘1. Restored space fragment will be on board Embassy support flight 115 arriving Kathmandu on or about March 10. Fragment is packed in shipping crate (cargo no. 72-33365) marked in care of DAO.&nbsp; 2. State and Defense representatives examined fragments prior to shipment finding restoration acceptable.’  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241207071212_929d903ee06d41baa4f6040e981cd7c7d7bd75cc9c37c9b617d307fc8538d2df.png" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20241207071212_929d903ee06d41baa4f6040e981cd7c7d7bd75cc9c37c9b617d307fc8538d2df" data-rendition-name="original" width="856" height="568" loading="lazy" alt="UFO over Pokhara"> <figcaption>Declassified CIA documents about the investigation into the object sighted in Pokhara. </figcaption> </figure>  The documents show that the US government, military and intelligence agencies investigated this incident thoroughly when it occurred, and have continued to revisit it ever since, as recently as five years ago. What is even more intriguing is that the object that fell in Pokhara was not the only unidentified space object that fell to earth that year. There were similar sightings of objects falling from the sky in Ladakh, Sikkim and Bhutan between 19 February and 25 March 1968.&nbsp; These mysteries were the subject of a CIA investigation in 1968 titled ‘<a href="https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP81R00560R000100070007-8.pdf">Sighting of Unidentified Flying Objects in Ladakh, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan</a>’, and the report is part of the recent online declassification of 800,000 top-secret documents from the period.&nbsp; &nbsp;Although unidentified flying objects (UFOs) have a connotation now of being alien craft, it could be pieces of satellite, missile, rocket or even aircraft. The CIA report documents six sightings in 1968 and quotes local sources as describing all of them having similar characteristics: bright blue or red streaks in the sky accompanied by loud sounds like lightning and thunder and objects falling to the ground. Aside from the metallic object that was found in Batlechaur, there were other items also found nearby in Tallakot, Tureypasal, Armalakot and Maidan. Whatever the object was, it seems to have disintegrated even before it hit the ground.&nbsp; The CIA report records the first sighting on 19 February 1968 in various parts of Sikkim and Olangchung Gola and Ghunsa in eastern Nepal. The light was said to be ‘long and thin’ and giving out ‘green and red light’. &nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241207071212_c3c825027d966a2aedc846970390eebe063957503c7eacc8e01e0517843f9bbb.png" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20241207071212_c3c825027d966a2aedc846970390eebe063957503c7eacc8e01e0517843f9bbb" data-rendition-name="original" width="892" height="596" loading="lazy" alt="UFO over Pokhara "> </figure>  Two days later on 21 February, a soundless blue object was seen traveling fast across the sky above Thimphu in Bhutan. Then on 4 March there were multiple daytime sightings or white streaks in the sky at Chang La Pass, Fukche and Koyul in Ladakh. There were more sightings in Ladakh on the very day fragments fell near Pokhara on 25 March 1968.&nbsp; After the sightings in Pokhara, rumours started flying in Kathmandu that these were aliens trying to land on Earth, it could be Russian or Chinese spy planes or satellites, and some even say it as a sign from heaven that the end of the world was near. This was at the height of the Cold War. The Russians and Americans were testing their thermonuclear devices as well as intercontinental ballistic missile delivery systems. The Washington-Beijing rapprochement had not yet happened, and China was making quick progress testing atomic bombs. Within two years after its first atomic test, in 1966 China exploded its first hydrogen bomb at the Lop Nur site in Xinjiang, 3,000km to the north from Nepal. After neary six decades, what is still intriguing is that all the sightings within a few months of each other in 1968 were along the Himalayan arc bordering Tibet: from Bhutan, Sikkim Nepal, to Ladakh. The US military intelligence seems to have concluded that this was not a coincidence and there were frequent research trips to the site in Pokhara by American officials in the months after the incident. With the help of the Royal Nepal Army, the region north of Pokhara was thoroughly searched.&nbsp; A confidential memo dated 25 June 1968 by Jerry C Trippy to a ‘Mr Farley’ mentions that the US Air Force’s Foreign Technology Division had decided that the debris could be important because it may be related to a Chinese missile test or a Soviet ‘Vehicle Venik’ rocket.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241207071216_feb5425692dc36b20187de4e4fcc2ce9fd12b6d9e1b8724398e50bcdbf9032fe.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20241207071216_feb5425692dc36b20187de4e4fcc2ce9fd12b6d9e1b8724398e50bcdbf9032fe" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="UFO over Pokhara"> </figure>  On 28 August 1968 the US Embassy in Kathmandu sent a letter to Washington DC saying that the object could be of Soviet origin, possibly from when the rocket carrying the ‘Kosmos 208’ satellite re-entered the atmosphere. But why were the fragments falling to earth several weeks apart, and in the same region? No one knows where the metal sheet that Kul Timilsina recovered is now. It was definitely packed in a crate and taken to the US, and although it is rumoured that it was returned that is not very likely. Archivist Sunil Ulak heard from the Timilsina family that CIA officials had returned to the site five years ago. &nbsp; Interest in UFOs peaked in the US in the 1950s, with the Cold War space race and tests of atomic weapons and delivery rockets. CIA and scientists were being sent to investigate sightings, both publicly and privately. Could the Pokhara fragments as well as the sightings in Ladakh and Bhutan actually be alien craft falling to earth? The renewal in interest in space travel in large part due to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, UFOs and sightings are again subjects of public interest.&nbsp; Even 57 years later, even if there was definitive proof about whether the Batlechaur fragment was from a Chinese missile or a soviet rocket, it has not been made public in documents declassified so far. We may never know.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241207071216_b6938795f40731e7657fd6dcbb3cf460a326186a15eb11d4f832f602201ff598.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20241207071216_b6938795f40731e7657fd6dcbb3cf460a326186a15eb11d4f832f602201ff598" data-rendition-name="original" width="642" height="320" loading="lazy" alt="UFO over Pokhara"> </figure>  Sunil Ulak speculates if the debris actually came from an American aircraft, perhaps on an intel mission upon China. “Which could explain why they were so thorough in collecting the fragments in Pokhara,” he says. But that still does not explain the multiple sightings weeks apart in 1968.&nbsp; Indeed, US military aircraft were at that time flying frequent night-time missions from air force bases in India to supply weapons to Khampa guerrilla camps in Nepal located north of Pokhara in Mustang. It could very well be that the Chinese shot down one such aircraft. The other sightings could have been contrails of US spy planes, or Chinese anti-aircraft missiles.&nbsp; There were quite a few developments regarding UFOs in 2024. In a US congressional hearing in July, former intelligence officer David Grusch claimed that the government had long been involved in a program to investigate and retrieve non-human craft crashes, and then try to reverse engineer them. However Grusch did not show any evidence.&nbsp; The UAP Disclosure Act of 2024 was signed into law by Joe Biden in December 2023. It plans to oversee the public disclosure of UFO information. However, there is a clause in it that prevents disclosure if it would cause threats to military defense, intelligence operations or foreign relations.&nbsp; It is unlikely that the declassified documents about sightings in the Himalayan will cause any real surprise about definite evidence of alien life even if it was found. It seems humanity will continue, at least for now, to wonder about curious lights in the sky and whether there is anybody out there.&nbsp;

UFO over Pokhara

When Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) president Rabi Lamichhane was arrested in October on charges of defrauding depositors of cooperatives, the party’s vice president Swarnim Wagle gifted him Fareed Zakaria’s book, Age of Revolutions.
Since then, Lamichhane has been shunted around from Kathmandu to Pokhara to Chitwan and back to Pokhara to attend police investigations and court proceedings. He was being flown to Birganj via Kathmandu on Buddha Air on Monday. There is another pending case in Janakpur.
Human rights groups and civil society have criticised the government for hounding Lamichhane with inhumane treatment that borders on physical torture. The two parties in the coalition, Nepali Congress (NC) and the UML, see Lamichhane’s RSP as a potentially formidable challenge to their power.
Even if the fraud charges against Lamichhane are true, the Nepali public is increasingly looking at the government’s actions through the police and courts as political vendetta.
Despite all the travelling, sometimes by plane and often by road at night, Lamichhane appears to be in high spirits, waving to supporters who often gather if they know he is going to be driven around. A social media video shows him giving high fives to fellow passengers on a recent flight to Pokhara.&nbsp;
In the past weeks, streets in Pokhara have erupted with parallel protests by Lamichhane’s supporters as well as depositors of cooperatives who lost their savings to the scam.&nbsp;
Although family visits are allowed, prison officials in Pokhara told Nepali Times that not many people visit Lamichhane these days. He added, “When he does get visitors, he asks them to bring him books.”
Lamichhane is currently Nepal’s most high-profile public figure in custody, and highlights the stark difference between how influential prisoners are treated compared to ordinary inmates.
There are six prison cells at Kaski District Police Office’s two-story detention centre, three on each floor. And while authorities pack prisoners into already overcrowded cells, Lamichhane has an entire room on the second floor to himself.&nbsp;
He has also been allowed to call his family every few days. Other prisoners are not permitted phone calls except for emergencies.
Meanwhile, Lamichhane’s former business partner Chhabilal Joshi, an ex-Deputy Inspector General of Police with whom he established his Gorkha Media Network, is in custody under the same charges in the prison cell next to him.
Lamichhane is accused of siphoning off depositors' money to the tv network in which he was part-owner and anchor. &nbsp;
Both Lamichhane and Joshi are able to buy food from the police canteen instead of being served the regular meal like other prisoners. Joshi has also given his statement to authorities in Rupandehi and Kathmandu for his alleged role in the scam. Lamichhane is yet to be presented in Kathmandu for questioning.
While he was in custody at the Kathmandu District Police Complex, Joshi expressed his desire to sleep in a police officer’s office, reportedly assuring authorities that he would not run away and he was entitled to certain facilities as a former officer of the law.
“He seemed to be under the impression that he is still a police officer,” says a source at the Kathmandu District Police. “We made it clear to him that as someone accused of a crime, he was not entitled to special treatment.”
Former ministers Balkrishna Khand and Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, and ex-home secretary Tek Narayan Pandey, who were arrested in connection with the fake refugee scam last year, were similarly housed in the offices of law enforcement officials instead of prison cells. Khand has since been released after six months in jail.
While there is no legal provision to keep high-ranking officials in separate detention centres when they are arrested, authorities granting them special facilities is not uncommon. Law enforcement officials say VIP detainees expect preferential treatment while in police custody.
Among those is former Kosi Province minister Lila Ballav Adhikari, who was arrested from Biratnagar on 10 November over his alleged involvement in human trafficking and brought to Kathmandu. Adhikari had flown to Japan without government approval with three individuals on 29 October to attend a cultural conference, but had been sent back to Nepal from Narita.&nbsp;
His three companions were arrested at Kathmandu airport upon their arrival, but Adhikari was able to exit unscathed from the VIP lounge. Adhikari had resigned as the Kosi Province Minister for Internal Affairs and Law when it became public that his companions had been taken into custody, and was himself arrested shortly after. He has since been cleared by the courts.
Throughout his detention, Adhikari was kept separately from other inmates. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Basant Rajouri, head of the Bhadrakali complex, says that while there is no separate detention area for VIPs, some detainees are kept separately depending on the nature of their crime.
However, sources say that arrangements were made for retired judges and others to visit Adhikari frequently worked at the office of a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) during his time in custody.&nbsp;
“He used to constantly pester the authorities to let him sit outside in the sun, and to be able to use the police officer’s shower area,” added an officer.
Adhikari was released on 25 November after the government prosecutor’s office decided not to charge him in a move that was seen to expose the government’s double standards.
Over at Kathmandu’s Dilli Bazar Prison, former Kist Bank CEO Kamal Gyawali emerges from his prison cell into the courtyard of the prison’s ‘Ka (क)’ block every morning with a thick book in his hands, ready to give his daily sermon.
With his long beard, Gyawali, who is serving a prison sentence for banking fraud, looks the part of a religious guru as he implores his rapt listeners to “walk the right path, abandon bad thoughts and turn to scripture and spirituality”.&nbsp;
Afterward, the attendees gather to discuss politics and current affairs. Inmates at his daily sermons at the prison include other high-profile detainees, including former MP Ichchha Raj Tamang, who is in jail for money laundering and cooperatives fraud, former joint secretary Chudamani Sharma, who was convicted of corruption, as well as NC leader Chandra Bahadur Lama and Krishna Bahadur Upreti of the UML both of whom are on trial for embezzling billions of rupees.
Victims of the cooperatives scam that former lawmaker Tamang was involved in have made trips to the prison and requested visits, but he has refused to meet with any of them.
“Tamang often complains that the state has prevented him from returning the money to the victims by locking him up,” says a police officer at the Dili Bazar jail.
“All you hear every day from the VIP prisoners is that they have been framed,” adds the officer. “No one admits that they were involved in misdeeds.”
But while most high-profile prisoners complain about prison conditions, one exception is former provincial lawmaker Deepak Manange, who is serving a sentence at Dilli Bazar Jail for attempted murder.
“He is the happiest prisoner here,” says a warden. “Unlike the others, he doesn’t claim to have been framed, in fact he doesn’t seem to care that he is in prison.”
Manange is detained in the ‘Kha (ख)’ block of the prison complex, which he renovated at his own expense. The block previously housed female prisoners, but Manange used his influence to transfer them elsewhere. He faces no shortage of visitors, who range from political leaders to people from the underworld.
Along with Manange, other well-known prisoners in this block include Nepal Telecom Managing Director Sunil Poudel, and former executive director of the Surakshan Printing Centre Bikal Poudel, who are serving time for corruption.
Former prisoners at Dilli Bazar prison include ex-ministers Khum Bahadur Khadka and Shyam Sundar Gupta, NC leader Ganesh Lama, Maoist MP Balkrishna Dhungel, Nagarik Unmukti Party leader Resham Chaudhary, as well as former IGs Ramesh Chand Thakuri, Om Bikram Rana, and Hem Bahadur Gurung.
Section 54 of Nepal’s Prison Act assigns each prison’s internal administration the
responsibility of governing its prisoners, which means the more favourable the jail management is, the more comfortable it is for prisoners.
Dilli Bazar prison has been the prison of choice for many high-ranking prisoners, especially those convicted of white collar crimes, due to its more accommodating administrators. The prison, which has the capacity to house 700 inmates, is also less crowded than other jails.
Anuj Bhattarai, spokesperson of the Department of Prison Management, says that there is no legal classification in Nepal for felons to be assigned prisons based on the nature of their crimes.
“That Dilli Bazar Jail has a higher number of prisoners convicted of crimes like corruption is most likely a coincidence,” says Bhattarai. “There is no provision for influential people to be able to choose where they will be incarcerated.”&nbsp;
Translated by Shristi Karki from the Nepali original published in himalkhabar.com

What Nepal’s VIP prisoners do in jail

If you were raised in Nepal, you must have picked up its unique set of vocabulary: आन्दोलन, चक्का जाम, बन्द, राँके जुलुस, आफ्नो मान्छे, हाम्रो दल, कर्फु and many more words connoting political protest.
We became familiar with the acrid smell of burning tyres, and eyes smarting from tear gas. And yet, everyone speaks of another revolution in the making. Not by desire, but by suffocation.
We heard speeches about नयाँ नेपाल, but the New Nepal never arrived. The governance system changed, but it did not reflect on people’s lives — except for those close to centres of power. The state is still unreachable and is not bothered about <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/matter-of-life-and-debt">victims of loan sharks</a>, cooperative scams and other injustices.
Politicians continue to speak in sound bites, but fail to deliver. They have mastered the game of pointing fingers towards an external enemy and convincing people that they are never at fault. The political narrative is so disconnected from the actual analysis of the problem that suffocation doesn’t go away after every revolution.
No genuine effort has been made to deliver at all, which is why there is a palpable sense of disillusionment in the air forcing us to seek another revolution, even if Nepal may not be able to afford it.
How has the current system successfully held power, even if the public is deeply frustrated? How is it that for three decades we continue to be led by the same faces, who have time and again, proved to us that they may be great politicians but not national leaders?
<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/improving-internet-governance-in-nepal">My experience at the epicentre of politics</a> has led me to identify three cultures that have enabled political parties to keep a tight hold on power: acceptance, silence and dependency.
We accept things the way they are. We use fatalistic phrases like “नेपालमा यस्तै हो” or “नेपालको कानुन दैब जानुन”. While this resilience enables us to rise back up from devastating calamities, it is also a reason for our compliance with the status quo.
Despite so many ‘revolutions’ that have led to significant reforms, these phrases keep getting reinforced, to the point that the upcoming generations have made it their lingo.&nbsp;
This acceptance is not a symbol of law-abiding citizens, but citizens living in fear of those in power, unable to ask the whys and why-nots.
Innovation suffocates in this culture of acceptance of the status quo. This is manifested in remarks like “but we don’t have any laws for this,” or “we don’t have the capacity to implement this”. An innovator or entrepreneur therefore has to spend that energy to become a political lobbyist, often educating and convincing the bureaucracy.&nbsp;
Remember when locally assembled <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/designed-and-made-in-nepal">Yatri motorbikes</a>, despite having willing customers, had to suffer to secure license numbers because of a lack of regulations? Instead of creating new laws, the government kept chanting the “We will promote Nepal-made goods” mantra, leaving entrepreneurs in a labyrinth of bureaucracy. The weight of acceptance of the law lies heavily on innovators. Fatalism is a tactic used by those in power to generate mass fear in society.
When we accept, we become silent. This is a pervasive phenomenon. We are trained to keep quiet, lest we ruffle feathers, burn bridges, or not get the help we need in future. We know, yet we don’t speak.
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/bureaucratic-hurdles-in-researching-nepals-bureaucracy">Bureaucratic hurdles in researching Nepal's bureaucracy</a>, Daniel W Edwards
Here is one example: the 2021 census shows that the number of baby boys born for every 100 baby girls is 112. This is a clear indication of female foeticide because of boy preference in society.
Despite such horrifying realities, there is finger-pointing within the government between the Ministry of Health and Population with the Ministry of Home Affairs. At the citizen level, we know those who are involved in killing girls. Yet, we don’t speak up. The Nepal Medical Council reports state that despite this gender imbalance at birth, there is no indication of any action.
But why would anyone speak against one's own fraternity, no matter how vile the act is?
When we accept and keep quiet, we become dependent on those who yield power. From getting our government procedure completed on time to getting transfers, to accessing any of our legally protected rights as well, we are forced to depend on our networks of चिनेको मान्छे people we know by blood, village, relations, political affiliation.
The culture of dependency has been the established way in Nepal. If you drive a two-wheeler or four-wheeler, and you get into a small accident, you will be asked to sort it yourself, dialing up the most powerful person you know. It becomes a competition of who knows who.
Recently I was told that there were calls from the Ministry of Health and Population and another from the Prime Minister's Office for just one medical position in a private hospital. Each was pushing its own candidate. Guess which candidate got the position.&nbsp;
The dependency of people is not on the laws or the state, it is with people in power, a reliance on the network of somebody who knows somebody, including those not officially in power.
These cultures are deeply ingrained in our heads, and in society. Collectively they form a vicious circle that helps those in power to retain power. This is not the society we want to live in.
Then, what do we do as a collective to break away from this? How do we break away from the cultures of acceptance and silence that have created this dependency? What can we do to ensure that our children do not have to learn the jargon of आन्दोलन before they learn about the state?
These are the cultures political parties need to shed rather than use them to perpetuate their power. This is what <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/an-alternative-to-alternative-politics-in-nepal">alternative politics</a> needs to be about.
Sumana Shrestha is a member of Parliament’s Education, Health and Information Technology parliamentary committee and represents the Rastriya Swatantara Party.

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