Above 50? Mountains aren't for you; Nepal, Bengal govts set new rules for mountaineers
Convening a press conference on Tuesday, the state Sports and Youth Affairs minister Arup Biswas said that rescue operation is very expensive.
In Short
- Nepal, Bengal govts are scripting new rules for mountaineering.
- A mountaineer will have to be within 50 years of age.
- The medical tests will cover cardiac and lung related investigation.
Woken up by death of four mountaineers, who were climbing Mount Everest this season, the Nepal and West Bengal governments are scripting new rules and regulations. The idea is not to take the onus of rescuing the adventurous ones, who would be trekking at their own risk, flouting all rules.
Convening a press conference on Tuesday, the state Sports and Youth Affairs minister Arup Biswas said that rescue operation is very expensive. The government will refrain from sending its team and bringing back the mountaineers, who will not be approved fit for undertaking the adventure sport by the state government's committee.
New rules for mountaineer, desiring to climb Everest
- A mountaineer will have to have an experience of climbing 6000 meters over a span of five years and he will have to be within 50 years of age.
- The person will have to go through a special medical test at the government medical colleges including SSKM.
- The tests will cover cardiac and lung related investigation.
- Moreover, the West Bengal government is trying to insist on the mountaineers to cover the expenses of rescue operation and cost of booking sherpa under insurance policy.
- The Nepal government is being asked to give no objection to those applicant, who would be clearing the mandatory rules and regulations laid down by the government.
- Though the state government had formed a committee a few years ago for checking the applications and giving the approval after mandatory verification, the committee hardly met. This new committee is having experienced mountaineers, who have scaled Everest. There will be doctors to look after the fitness aspect.
Earlier, mountaineers could directly approach the Nepal government for the permit by just paying the permit fee. The agencies in Nepal, which arranged for the permits, in majority of cases never bothered to check if the mountaineer had any experience of undertaking the expedition. The Nepal government has also made it mandatory to go through the experience aspect as well check if the state government, concerned, has approved the application or not.
"If the mountaineers do not bother to follow the government rules, the government will not bother to take up the rescue operation and bring back the bodies," said Biswas.