Kathmandu, March 4:

Government is set to allow Everest summiteers to accompany mountaineering expedition team as liaison officer while climbing Himalayan peaks in the coming season.

The government is planning to assign at least five Everest summiteers as liaison

officer for the mountaineering expedition, said Dinesh Hari Adhikari, joint secretary

at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.

Besides successful ascent of the world’s tallest peak, the government has set a minimum criteria of School Leaving Certificate (SLC) pass for the Everest summiteers to become a liaison officer.

The existing policy allows only the government employees (section officer level) to become liaison officers to accompany mountaineering expedition team to monitor the climbing activities and, inform the concerned authorities. The government’s latest move comes in response to a request from the mountaineers as well as mountaineering experts. The government-assigned liaison officers are often criticised for not accompanying the expedition team or inexperienced in mountaineering activities.

The government had constituted a taskforce headed by Wangchu Sherpa, president of Everest Summiteers Association, to recommend provisions and potential candidates for liaison officers among the summiteers. It has recommended 28 Everest summiteers for liaison officers.

Tourism Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung said that the government plans to honour the Everest summiteers by assigning them the task of liaison officers. “They are familiar with the Himalayas and mountaineering activities. This will certainly help to carry out climbing expedition successfully,” he said speaking at the conclusion of a week-long orientation for Everest summiteers on provisions of liaison officers organised by Tourism and Hotel Management Training Institute.

Wanghchu Sherpa of Everest Summiteers’ Association asked the government to revisit its criteria of minimum SLC pass for the mountaineers.