Fiscal Nepal
First Business News Portal in English from Nepal
KATHMANDU: In a major administrative move aimed at revamping Nepal’s immigration system, the Ministry of Home Affairs has deployed 45 newly-appointed section officers to Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) starting Monday. These officers had recently passed the Public Service Commission (Lok Sewa) examination and completed a short training.
According to the secretariat of Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, this deployment is part of a broader reform plan to address inefficiencies and corruption allegations plaguing airport immigration operations.
Director General of the Immigration Department, Govinda Rijal, confirmed that the 45 new officers, along with newly appointed Joint Secretary Narahari Ghimire, have taken charge of immigration duties at TIA. Ghimire, who previously served at the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), has replaced Rijal, who was already transferred from the department.
“These civil service recruits received a three-day orientation before being posted at the airport from today,” said Rijal.
The deployment comes in the wake of a scandal that erupted in early Jestha (mid-May) when the CIAA raided the immigration office at TIA amid allegations of human trafficking under the guise of visit visas. During the operation, the CIAA arrested then-Immigration Chief Tirtharaj Bhattarai, and investigations into the case are still ongoing.
In response to the scandal, the Home Ministry had previously recalled 45 section officers from TIA, prompting a reallocation process coordinated with the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration. The newly posted officers replace those earlier recalled.
Home Ministry Undersecretary Suresh Joshi, from the administrative division, stated that the number of officers at the airport will be limited to approved staffing positions. “Any excess officers beyond the sanctioned quota will be sent back through the General Administration Ministry,” he added.
To further probe the human trafficking scandal, the government has formed a high-level investigation committee led by former Secretary Shankar Das Bairagi. The committee’s findings are expected to influence further institutional and legal reforms within the immigration department.
The appointment of fresh civil servants is being viewed as a significant step to restore credibility and enforce accountability at Nepal’s only international air gateway, which has come under heavy public scrutiny.
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