KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 8
Celebrated mountaineer Nirmal 'Nims' Purja used his non-resident Nepali card to evade millions of rupees of mountaineering royalty in the last spring season, the government officials claimed.
Purja, who had misused dual passports (Nepali and British) to complete 14 peaks earlier, climbed Everest, Annapurna and Makalu in the last spring season without paying climbing fees fixed for the foreign-passport holders, a record at the Department of Tourism shows.
"Purja has evaded a royalty over US$ 15,000 in the last season alone when he climbed three different peaks," an official who has been investigating the case at the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority told THT. Purja, being a British citizen, had paid actual royalty to the DoT in 2023 but after obtaining a NRN citizenship card on 9 November 2023, he duped the officials to get climbing permits by showing the same card.
The CIAA has already written to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation for necessary clarification over the issue of revenue leakage. "Following the CIAA action, the DoT has immediately refused to grant him a climbing permit for Mt Manaslu this autumn season," a senior DoT official informed.
Purja, who recently arrived here from the United Kingdom, wanted to climb Manaslu with his clients including a top Russian model Victoria Bonya before leaving for Shishapangma expedition in Tibet next month, fellow climbers shared.
Spokesperson at the Department of Tourism Kali Bahadur Bhujel said that the DoT was considering Purja's case seriously. "Revenue leakage is a serious issue," he said. The CIAA also seeks necessary action from the Department of Revenue Investigation as Purja has been playing foul with the government agencies as well as has been tarnishing Nepal's image in the world's mountaineering fraternity.
"The Department of Revenue Investigation will look after the issue only after the DoT or concerned tax offices failed to charge the exact royalty amount as per the country's Act and regulations," director general at DRI Chakra Budha said.
Stern action has been sought against Purja of Elite Exped for allegedly violating the Tourism Act, evading taxes and defaming the Sherpa community and Nepal's tourism sector. Purja misled the world by saying that when he was climbing the world's tallest peak, Sherpas cut the rope above 8000 meters to halt his expedition in the last spring season. Following widespread criticism, Nims removed the controversial video clips that he had posted about Everest from his social media. Meanwhile, the New York Times news report on sexual misconduct allegation levelled against Purja has also tarnished the image of Nepal's mountaineering section, according to the Sherpa Tourism Entrepreneur Association of Nepal. STEAN claims that Nims Dai store at Marriott Hotel in Naxal sold goods for which tax had not been paid to the government. The NYT article also claimed that Purja allegedly assaulted his foreign female client at the same hotel, breaching the Marriott's 'harassment policy'.
Purja also faces accusation of holding illegal training for its climbers above the base camp and commandeering an unauthorized chopper flight to/from the Camp II in the last spring season. Purja, who now runs elite expeditions under a new company – Sherpa Extreme Pvt. Ltd - couldn't be contacted for comment.
