KATHMANDU, Nepal-At a time Solukhumbu dwellers and concerned stakeholders are sounding off about the royalty amount gathered from Mt. Everest, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Ram Kumar Shrestha said the royalty amount received from Mt. Everest was in the process of releasing. Admitting that the royalty obtained from Mt. Everest was stuck for the past four years, he also informed that the trapped royalty would be utilized from this year.
At a programme in Kathmandu, Minister Shrestha said the government was committed to spread roads networks and infrastructure in Sagarmatha region, the gateway to Mt. Everest, which has made Nepal familiar in the globe. He further said the government would take appropriate measure not to let the budget to freeze once released.
On the occasion, former Tourism Minister Bal Bahadur KC asked the government to pay interest in the development of the Mt. Everest region as it is the property of all the Nepalese.
KC urged for allocating budget for road expansion from Salleri to Surke for easy access for tourists as air services are closed in the district in rainy season.
People in the lowest belt of Solukhumbu district have been hit hard with the closure of Kangel airport for three months due to problem with the runway with the onset of the rainy season. The seasonal airport has been shut down for three months beginning from June 29 and will last till the first week of October.
During the programme, economic advisor to the Finance Ministry, Dr. Chiranjivi Nepal vowed he would collaborate with concerned agencies for the broad development of the Sagarmatha region.
