KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 04
Government authorities have questioned famed climber Nirmal Purja 'Nimsdai' for inspiring a Mexican climber to run illegal activities during the last spring expedition on Mt Everest.
The Department of Tourism has denied a summit certificate to Mexican climber Juan Diego Martinez Alvarez after he played a piano to set a world record on top of the world without obtaining permit from concerned government authorities.
Martinez, a part of Elite Expedition, run by record-holder climber Nimsdai, had not obtained legal permission to play piano on Everest in a bid to set a world record, DoT officials confirmed.
Martinez reportedly spent USD 350,000 to achieve this feat but has not been issued a certificate for the same.
DoT officer Bigyan Koirala said that the department has asked the tourist police to collect evidence of their wrongdoings.
"Tourist police has already submitted evidence and DoT will submit its report recommending necessary action against the accused to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation in a day or two," he said.
If found guilty, the ministry could ban the climber from entering Nepal for mountain expeditions and also punish the handling agency - Elite Expedition, as well as the liaison officer of Nimsdai's expedition.
Nimsdai, who has also been facing negative criticism from across the globe for collecting hefty sum in the name of mountain cleaning campaign, found himself amid controversies in 2019 after Kuwaiti flag, measuring 100m x 30m and weighing 150kg, was unfurled from the top of Ama Dablam without government permission.
Meanwhile, the DoT has also taken back a summit certificate which was awarded to a Russian climber for summiting Everest in the last spring season.
The tourism department has taken Katya Lipka's Everest summit certificate back after she was found unfurling Ukraine's flag on Everest's peak. A process to ban Katya from entering Nepal has already been initiated, according to Bhattarai.
Katya was a part of the Everest expedition run by Kathmandu-based 8K Expedition Pvt Ltd.
