For months, opposition lawmakers have been critical of Rishikesh Pokharel, chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the lower house, for his alleged reluctance to call the parliamentary panel’s meeting.

Not only have they publicly criticised Pokharel, they also asked for his resignation from the position. He faces allegations that under him, the PAC, the most important parliamentary committee to hold the government accountable, has become useless and is working at the government’s behest.

While other House committees hold regular meetings whether or not Parliament is in session, the PAC seldom meets. Its last meeting was held on February 18 to discuss the unsettled accounts pointed in the auditor general’s report. Other preceding meetings were held on January 21 and 22.

The committee sat just six times in the eight months of the current fiscal year, as per Parliament’s records.

“We have been demanding the chairperson convene the meeting. I reminded him yesterday [Friday] as well. He has promised to summon the meeting,” said Lekh Nath Dahal, a member of the committee from the CPN (Maoist Centre). “However, we have little hope given his track record.”

While Pokharel’s alleged reluctance is regarded as the primary reason for the delay in the committee’s meeting, opposition lawmakers too have done nothing more than criticising him. As per parliamentary regulations, one third of the committee’s lawmakers can formally demand a meeting.

In the 26-strong House panel including the chair, 10 are opposition lawmakers, which is 38 percent of total strength.

Dahal said they are aware of the provision and plan to use the authority if Pokharel continues to delay. “We will wait until Sunday. If not, one third of the lawmakers will demand a meeting,” he said.

Pokharel said the PAC's meeting has not been called as per an agreement that different sub-committees will finalise their reports first. “In the last meeting, we had agreed that the full committee will meet after all sub-panels complete their reports,” he said.

“I don't know why our friends are talking otherwise now. I have received two of three reports. The committee will sit once the last report is submitted. Possibly next week.”

As per the committee’s secretariat, it has received over 100 complaints related to financial irregularities. Similarly, it is yet to finalise the reports of studies carried months ago.

Dahal said finalisation of the probe reports of alleged irregularities in the construction of the Gautam Buddha and Pokhara international airports, as well as discussion on the dispute relating to the National Electricity Authority’s charges of the dedicated feeder to various factories have been delayed as the chair has not convened the committee’s meetings.

On June 28, two separate sub-panels were formed under the PAC to investigate alleged financial irregularities amounting to billions of rupees in the construction of the two airports.

While sub-committee coordinators cite technical reasons for the delay, some members claim the delay in finalising the reports is deliberate.

Amresh Kumar Singh, a member of the subcommittee formed to look into alleged corruption in the Gautam Buddha International Airport, claims that the report has been delayed as leaders of the ruling parties are directly involved in the irregularities. He claims massive irregularities were found, particularly during land acquisition while building the airport.

Dahal echoes this concern. “There are some irregularities in Pokhara airport as well. However, not to the extent of the Gautam Buddha airport,” he said. There have been irregularities in land acquisition.

CPN-UML lawmaker Yogesh Bhattarai leads the eight-member panel investigating the construction of the Bhairahawa airport. Along with Singh, Achyut Prasad Mainali, Bikram Pandey, Manju Khand, Shyam Kumar Ghimire and Saraj Ahmed Farooki are on the subcommittee.

The total cost of the airport construction is $76.1 million, excluding land acquisition. The Asian Development Bank pitched in $37 million in loans and grants, while the OPEC Fund for International Development provided about $11 million in loans. The rest of the funding came from the government.

Though construction was to start on January 15, 2015, and be completed by December 2017, the deadline was extended by four years to December 2021.

The airport is spread over 787 bigha (533 hectares) and has a runway that is 3,000-metre long and 45-metre wide. Though some airlines are making irregular flights, there is no assurance of regular international flights.

Despite being built as projects of national pride, the Pokhara airport has also been unable to attract regular international flights.

Probing the construction of Pokhara Airport is a 12-member committee led by Rastriya Prajatantra Party chair Rajendra Lingden. The panel has Arjun Narasingh KC, Gokul Prasad Baskota, Janardan Sharma, Tara Lama Tamang, Teju Lal Chaudhary, Deepak Giri, Dev Prasad Timilsina, Prem Bahadur Ale, Ram Krishna Yadav, Rukmani Rana Baraili and Dahal as members.

Spread over 3,899 ropani [198.36 hectares], the Pokhara airport, whose construction began in the fiscal 2015-16, was initially scheduled for completion by fiscal 2018-19, at the cost of Rs22 billion. The timeline was pushed back by two years to the fiscal 2020-21, with the cost ballooning to Rs25.34 billion.

The government secured a $215.96 million soft loan from China EXIM Bank in March 2016 to fund the project, which was implemented on an engineering procurement and construction (EPC) model.

Officials at the PAC said they expect the meeting to be called soon. “We need to finalise the committee’s annual report now. I believe the meeting for it will be called soon,” said Ek Ram Giri, secretary of the House committee.