Aerial death traps

No corrupt leader or bureaucrat should be allowed to stop the bifurcation of the CAAN.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has its feet in two boats: Business and regulation. This is always a recipe for disaster. And in Nepal’s aviation sector, disasters are aplenty. Under the current director general, Pradeep Adhikari, Nepal has seen seven air crashes. In the past year-and-a-half alone, over 100 people have been killed in plane crashes. And no, the director-general hasn’t resigned yet, he in fact continues to vehemently defend his sullied record. The terms ‘accountability’ and ‘humility’ are clearly missing from his book of ethics. With the right connections across the political spectrum, he has no moral or political pressure to resign. The half-mast national flag does his task of hanging his head in shame.