Nearly two dozen employees of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (Caan) have been promoted several levels at a time in a glaring example of misuse of authority, leading the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) to direct the Tourism Ministry to investigate the elevations following a complaint filed with the anti-graft body.

Such practices have been common at Caan for the last five years, ministry officials said. Most of the staffers have been promoted to the post of department or divisional chief, which are 11th-level positions.

Eighth-level Deputy Manager Sunil Prasad Mul jumped three levels to the 11th-level post of acting division chief. Likewise, Deputy Manager Niranjan Malla has been given double promotion to a 10th-level post.

“The promoted employees get vehicle and other facilities and wield enormous influence as divisional or department chiefs,” said ministry officials. “That’s why Caan is not interested in filling vacant positions immediately.” Such practices are more blatant at Tribhuvan International Airport.   

Caan’s Deputy Director General Rajan Pokhrel said that Caan had not been able to fill vacant positions for a long time so they had to resort to making ad hoc appointments. He added that a number of key posts had remained vacant after the incumbents resigned or retired.

“We had tried to fill the vacant positions by publishing a wanted notice, but the process was cancelled after a complaint was filed with the anti-graft body,” he said. “We are facing a manpower shortage.”

According to Pokhrel, they have 90 positions for electronic engineers, but only 52 of them are occupied. “However, we are filling the vacancies.” According to Caan, it has been conducting examinations for the vacancies announced in January last year.