Kathmandu, Aug. 9 -- After nearly half a dozen extended deadlines, the government now plans to complete the construction of the Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa either by December or March next year.

On Wednesday, newly appointed Tourism Minister Yogesh Bhattarai told journalists that Nepal's second international airport was at 73 percent and that it was on track to complete and commence operations by December.

But in a separate meeting with Mukhtor Khamudkhanov, Nepal country director of the Asian Development Bank, the financier of the project, later on Wednesday, Bhattarai said that the government is committed to completing the project by March 2020.

While the minister's statement has added to the confusion over the ...