KATHMANDU, Nepal-With the report of increasing illegal activities in the Everest, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation ((MoCTCA)) in Nepal is exercising to adopt hard measure targeting to curb such activities. ‘The government would control any illegal activities in the Everest and the Ministry is engaged in parleys with specialist to do so,’ spokesperson at the Ministry said.
A week ago, British Mountaineer Daniel Thomas Hughes made the video call through his smart phone to the BBC, which Nepal government has labeled as illegal and now initiating strong action against the concerned Summit Nepal Trekking Agency through which Hughes summit the peak.
Likewise, just a month ago, an argument arose between foreign climbers Simone Moro, Ueli Steck, Jon Griffith and Sherpas over rope fixing in Everest while the climbers were on their way to the 7,470-metre height. The government of Nepal instantly carried out a one door policy to manage safe climbing as well as constructing a separate route after the incident. The incident had harmed Nepalese image in international level.
Concerned stake holders are seriously concerned over the craze and trend to atop the peak among the under age children in the name of making new record in the Everest increased in the latest days saying such unfair competition have been inviting bad trends. Quitting the Everest attempt has also drew the attention to the stakeholders while some climbers bidding to scale the peak returned back citing their health conditions and lack of proper fund among other requirements. ‘The government should prohibit and discourage the climbers who demand exemption in tax and other support in the base camp,’ a mountaineering expert said.
Veteran Nepali climber, Min Bahadur Sherchan, 82, eventually quit his Everest attempt on Tuesday after he complained of chest pain. Octogenarian Sherchan who stopped for a week in the Base Camp citing a lack of fund to atop the peak was airlifted to Kathmandu on Tuesday following worsening health condition. Mountaineering experts have raising a voice calling for the strict rules and age limit for the climbers to avoid such unnecessary activities in the days to come. ’The government will strictly monitor license issuing process and health condition of the climbers,’ Ministry for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Ram Kumar Shrestha Said.
However, the government is still mum towards the age limit for the older citizen bidding to scale Everest despite their critical health due to the mounting pressure from the mountaineers.
Though the government had succeeded to fix the minimum age to scale the peak, the maximum age limit is yet to label due to unnecessary pressure from mountaineering section, Ang Tshering Sherpa, founder of Asian Trekking Agency and ex-president of Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) said.
Piles of garbage scattered in Everest is one of the biggest challenges of the peak with the crowd of aspirant mountaineers trying to scale it, triggering disgraceful environment and causing to fade away the beauty of Everest. Keeping in mind the environment pollution in Everest, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) is planning to co-ordinate with Ministry of Science, Environment and Technology.
Meanwhile, officiating chief executive officer of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) Subash Nirola opined that illegal activities in Everest should be curbed to preserve the tourism aspect of the region.
