Home Minister Balkrishna Khand, also the central member of the Nepali Congress, pledged to place priority to locals while recruiting employees at Bhaiahawa-based Gautam Buddha International Airport. Local people would be given priority in recruiting employees in new posts and also in other opportunities at the airport, he said, pledging to take initiative on his own to that end.

In his address to a programme of ruling coalition at Bhairahawa on Saturday, he said emphasis would be laid on local residents when new vacancies were announced as the airport construction was made possible only after locals provided their land for the same. “It was difficult to construct the airport if the locals did not provide their land for the purpose. So, local people should get priority in each opportunity recognizing their contributions for airport construction”, he noted.
The government and other stakeholders should not forget the cooperation extended by the locals in providing land on compensation, the Home Minister added.

The airport has opened up avenues for the economic prosperity of the area, he said, adding it was their foremost priority to make locals self-reliant and job holder. He further expressed the government’s commitment to place priority in employment opportunities to the members of the families whose land was acquired for airport construction on compensation. He said that he was also talking to the chief of the Gautam Buddha International Airport and Civil Aviation Authority in this regard.

Preparations are being made to operate cargo services at airport, Minister Khand said, adding the government was planning to boost employment opportunities here by sending local agro and industrial products to international market after cargo service coming into operation. Province Assembly member of Rupandehi constituency 3 (A) Santosh Kumar Pandey said the coalition partners would devote its all-out efforts for overall development of the country by safeguarding the constitution, democracy and federalism.