Kathmandu(PTI): A Dubai-bound aircraft with nearly 150 people on board on Monday reported a problem in one of its engines soon after taking off from the Tribhuvan International Airport here, according to airport sources.

The FlyDubai aircraft heading towards Dubai returned back and hovered over the skies in Dharke after a problem was reported in one of its engines, sources said.

The pilots later told the control tower they will continue after finding out that all indicators are normal.

"The aircraft switched off its engine for some time after encountering the problem and now it is heading towards the destination without landing in Kathmandu airport," Deputy Director of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal was quoted as saying by a private television news channel.

The aircraft took off from Tribhuvan International Airport at 9.20 am.

Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Sudan Kirati shared on his Facebook account that the FlyDubai plane was flying to its destination safely and urged all not to worry about it. Earlier, it was reported that preparations are underway for an emergency landing of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft at the airport here.

There are more than 150 people on board including 50 Nepali passengers. Eye-witnesses claimed they saw aircraft catching fire in the Kathmandu sky. Fire engines were kept on alert at the airport, according to sources.

The airport has now resumed its operation, said Pratap Babu Tiwari, general manager of Tribhuvan International Airport.

"Fly Dubai flight number 576 (Boeing 737-800) Kathmandu to Dubai flight is normal now and proceeding to her destination Dubai as per the flight plan," Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) said in a tweet.

"Kathmandu airport operation is normal from 1614 UTC (09:59pm local time)," CAAN said.

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New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.

The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.

Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.

“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.

Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”

Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.

In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”

"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added. 

According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.

Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.