KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 19

Nearly three months have passed since a massive fire engulfed a residence in Kapan where a famed mountaineer Nirmal Purja, aka Nimsdai, rented the bungalow's ground floor for his company office. Three persons were killed and a few others injured when gas canisters stored in the Elite Exped office exploded on September 21.

The incident rendered Tanka Ghising and his family homeless within hours. 'We have been putting up in a tent here,' Ghising told THT.

Ghising said Purja and his company owed him compensation but have refused to pay up. 'I lost everything due to their negligence,' Ghising said, adding that his property worth over Rs 50 million was damaged in the blast.

He alleged that instead of compensating him for his loss, Purja had been threatening him from the UK. 'Earlier he was open to negotiated settlement, but then he fled to the UK,' he said. He claims that Purja once asked him to evaluate the loss and when time came to pay up he backed out.

Ghising alleges that nowadays Purja brazenly dares him to do whatever he wanted to do against Elite Exped.

Ghising claims that he was not aware that Elite Exped had stored a number of explosive gas canisters at his house. 'I had rented them a floor for Rs 25,000 per month to run their office, but they had clandestinely stored LPG and oxygen cylinders there,' Ghising said. 'I want Purja and his company to pay proper compensation to me,' he reiterated.

Purja had reportedly offered him Rs 10 million infour instalments as compensation.

'This won't be enough even to clear the debris,' Ghising said, adding that he wants Elite Exped to pay him at least Rs 50 million as he wants to rebuild the house.

After making headlines for scaling 14 peaks above 8,000 metres in six months and six days, a world record, Purja has been accused of collecting huge sums from abroad in the name of a campaign to clean mountains. 'Purja has also been collecting money showing pictures of my gutted house,' Ghising alleged.

Mingma David Sherpa, co-owner of Elite Exped, claimed that the company was in touch with Ghising and others to settle the dispute.

'We couldn't offer more than Rs 1 crore to him,' Sherpa told THT. In his social me-dia post, Purja claimed that all allegations against him or Elite Exped were unfounded and untrue and did not reflect the true story.

'Elite Exped has been incontact with Ghising since the blast and we have the evidence to prove this,' Purja wrote, adding, 'Under the Nepal law, there is no obligation to pay any money to Ghising.'

However, storing highly explosive materials in a private residence is a criminal offence and punishable as per the country's law. The perpetrator is liable for proper compensation to the victims against loss and damage caused by such an explosion, the law states.

Purja can't ignore Ghising's demand, says Phurba Gyaljen Sherpa, former board member of Nepal Tourism Board. 'He should compensate victims' families on humanitarian ground,' Sherpa said, adding, 'Purja should own up the damage caused to the house and pay up for losses incurred by the owner.

Running away from a problem is a cowardly act, lacks respect for the Ghising family and the Sherpa community.'

According to him, families of the deceased have also not been given compensation by Elite Exped.

Social worker Pemba Tenzing Sherpa also asked Purja to do the right thing and pay up for damages caused to the landlord.

Purja claimed in a social media post that he had offered Ghising Rs 1 crore as damages, but he rejected the offer.

Crime Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police has been investigating the incident to ascertain the cause of the blast. 'Investigation is under way,' a senior CIB officer told THT.

Ghising said he would move the court against Elite Exped . 'Our legal team is working on it and I will continue fighting for justice,' he said.

I had offered Ghising Rs 1 crore as damages, but he rejected the offer - Nirmal Purja, ace mountaineer.

A version of this article appears in the print on December 20, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.