Nine civil servants atop Everest
Nine members of Nepal Civil Servant Everest Expedition 2011 reached the summit of Mt Everest in the morning of 18 May.
Laxman Prasad Bhattarai, spokesperson of the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation who is at the Everest Base Camp, said five members reached the summit at 5:45 am and remaining four at 7: 45 am.
Khimlal Gautam, Santa Kumar Maharjan, Subir Shrestha, Tulsiram Bhandari, Surath Pokhrel, Hari Guragain, Hari Dhakal, Padam Bhandari and Gyanendra Shrestha reached the summit this morning, according to Bhattarai.
Though there were a total of 15 civil servants in the team, nine had withdrawn due to poor health conditions.
Fifteen Sherpas of the expedition also reached the summit.
Airlines raise fuel surcharge
Domestic carriers are increasing fuel surcharge by up to 20 percent effective from May 16. This will make air tickets on domestic routes costlier by up to Rs 775.
Airlines Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN) - the association of domestic airlines - had taken the decision about a week ago, considering the rise in prices of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF).
Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) had raised the price of ATF by Rs 10 per liter, making it Rs 100 per liter last week. Price of ATF has increased by Rs 40 per liter, as compared to the price of December last year.
Domestic carriers had raised fuel surcharge by up to Rs 180 in February, following rise in ATF prices by Rs 10 per liter.
As per existing regulations, airlines can increase fuel surcharge only if ATF price is increased by more than Rs 4 per liter.
Apa rewrites record with 21st Everest summit
Record breaking Nepali mountaineer Apa Sherpa reached the summit of Mt Everest for the record 21 times on the morning of 11 May.
Apa, who is leading an environmental expedition, took advantage of good weather to reach the 8,848- meter summit with a group of other climbers. Tilak Pandey, an officer of Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation stationed at the base camp, confirmed the summit.
The 50-year-old Sherpa first reached the summit of the tallest peak on earth in 1989 and repeated the feat almost every year.
Apa’s expedition plans to bring around 4 tons of garbage from the lower part of the mountain and another one ton from near the summit.
Former minister dies in Everest bid
Former foreign minister Shaliendra Kumar Upadhyay, 82, died on the slopes of Mt Everest on May 9, while attempting to become the oldest person to climb the tallest peak on earth.
Upadhyay collapsed while descending from Camp I. He was trying to break the record of compatriot Min Bahadur Sherchan, who reached the summit of Mt Everest at the age of 76 two years ago.
He was climbing with a non-profit expedition organized by a local campaign group for the rights of the elderly.
Upadhya had also served as Nepal’s resident representative to the United Nations.
Source: TAAN E-NEWS
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