Kathmandu, September 26:

The House of Representatives today passed a proposal tabled by Speaker Subas Nembang expressing condolence over the death of the Minister of State for Forest and Soil Conservation, Gopal Rai, and wildlife and conservation experts.

Leaders and MPs attending today’s session of the House said the death of conservation experts in the helicopter crash on Saturday is an irreparable loss.

Former PM and Nepali Congress-Democratic president Sher Bahadur Deuba said the death of Dr Harka Gurung, Dr Chandra Gurung and Dr Bigyan Acharya has created a big vacuum in the conservation field.

Nepali Congress MP Ram Chandra Paudel urged the government to learn a lesson from the mishap. He said the death of the state minister is an irreparable loss to the democratic movement in Nepal as Rai was an honest follower of late BP Koirala. UML Leader Bharat Mohan Adhikary said his partymen are saddened by the deaths.

Meanwhile, RSS reported that King Gyanendra and Queen Komal today expressed deep grief over the demise of Minister of State for Forest and Soil Conservation, Gopal Rai, his spouse, Charge d’Affaires at the Embassy of Finland Pauli Mustonen, Acting Secretary at the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation Dr Damodar Prasad Parajuli and eminent personalities, both from Nepal and abroad, who had distinguished themselves with their path breaking contributions to the fields of nature conservation and bio-diversity in the country, along with journalists and crew members, in the helicopter accident.