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Nepali king’s Africa trip lands NAC over 420,000 USD short

KATHMANDU, July 19 (Xinhua) --

Nepali King Gyanendra’s trip of Africa, eight months ago, lands state-run Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) 30 million Nepali rupees (42,8571.44 U.S. dollars) short, local media reported here Wednesday.
 ‘‘Eight months after the king’s famous three-week African safari,the ailing NAC is still struggling to get full payment for the chartered flight,’’ Kantipur FM, a private local radio station reported.
 ‘‘Of the dues totaling 75.5 million Nepali rupees (1.08 million U.S. dollars), the NAC is yet to receive 30 million Nepali rupees (428,571.44 U.S. dollars) from the Nepali government as detention fare for the Boeing 757 used for the royal trip,’’ the radio quotedthe NAC sources as saying.
 However, the NAC received the chartered fee worth 45 million Nepali rupees (642,857.14 U.S. dollars) some months back. Apart from chartered fares, the then government had agreed to pay detention fee of 18,000 U.S. dollars per day, as the NAC was not able to use the aircraft for commercial flights even when the king was not using it himself. NAC was forced to cancel around 30 percent of its internationalflights after the king took one of its two Boeings for 21 days forhis Africa visit. In addition, around 20 percent flights were delayed. ‘‘Commercially profitable flights mainly to Indian destinations and Bangkok were cancelled due to aircraft shortage,’’the sources noted The Boeing 757 9N-ACB was chartered to fly the king to several African countries, including Tunisia, Burundi, Nigeria and Egypt, starting from November 13. ‘‘The aircraft flew a total of 48 hours,’’ the sources added.

Are You sure.Spoke with some RNA AMEs a few weeks back.They still sayu its RNA.

regds

MEL

The background:

http://indiaenews.com/2006-07/15445-nepal-seek-divine-india-report.htm

Nepal king to seek divine help in India: Report
 Wednesday, July 19th, 2006

Kathmandu - After the gods in Nepal turned a deaf ear and blind eye to his prayers, dejected King Gyanendra is now seeking divine help in neighbouring India, a report said.

Even as devotees from far and wide are lining up at the famous Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu this month to offer worship, the king, who was stripped of his position as patron of the temple by parliament this week, is offering puja by proxy at a shrine near India’s temple town of Varanasi, the Jana Aastha weekly said Wednesday.

On Thursday, an Indian yogi identified as Harihar Swami, would be offering a special worship at Vindhyavasini Dham on behalf of the king to seek the goddess’ blessings for Nepal’s royalty in decline.

According to the weekly, another Indian yogi, Barfani Baba, who reportedly has an ashram in Hardwar, a prime pilgrimage destination in northern India, recommended the swami to the palace.

The baba in turn was introduced to the royal family by his disciple Mohan Bahadur Shahi, who is King Gyanendra’s brother-in-law.

However, with Nepal’s parliamentarians pressing for a drastic cut in the king’s allowances, Thursday’s worship would not be as lavish as the royal offerings have been in the past.

Barfani Baba had earlier asked for Rs 16,00,000 ($ 34,000) to come up with a really effective service but Harihar Swami swung the deal after he offered to do it for Rs 400,000, the weekly said.

Another Indian god man, identified only as Kali Baba, is reported to have access to the palace and was sent for during King Gyanendra’s direct rule to mediate between the isolated monarch and Indian political leaders.

The Nepal royal family’s belief in divine powers is legendary. During his 15-month rule as head of the government, the king made several disastrous decisions, said to have been prompted by his army of astrologers.

One of the advices - to take a trip across the ocean to propitiate the stars - reportedly made the king go on a three-week long African safari at a time his kingdom was in a critical stage.

Besides losing him his seat of power, the trip has also set him back by NRS 75.5 million, incurred just for chartering an aircraft, a daily said.

The royal entourage hired a Boeing 757 for the royal trip from the national carrier, Nepal Airlines Corporation. Since the airline has only two Boeings, it had to cancel about 30 percent of its international flights, the Kathmandu Post reported Wednesday.