Kathmandu, July 8 -- Construction work under the expansion of Tribhuvan International Airport, one of Nepal's designated national pride projects, has come to a halt after supplies of high-grade crushed stone required for the project were cut off.

The disruption stems from a dispute between aggregate suppliers and Godawari Municipality in Lalitpur district, compounded by an unresolved court order that has prevented construction materials from leaving quarries in the municipality.

According to Dipendra Shrestha, project director of the Air Transport Capacity Enhancement Project under the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, work on two major airport facilities has been suspended because contractors can no longer obtain the specialised aggre...