KATHMANDU, May 17: Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak conducted an inspection visit to the Everest Base Camp area. He reached Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality-4 on Saturday to assess the condition of climbers during the tourist season and observe peace and security.
Minister Lekhak stated that the government is ready to facilitate smooth helicopter operations in the Everest region for rescue missions, mountaineering support, and tourist services. Emphasizing the necessity of helicopters for rescuing physically weak or injured tourists, he clarified that the government’s policy is focused on making such services more accessible and better organized.
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Home Minister Lekhak said, “To promote tourism in the Everest region, the government will now implement more people-centered policies in a different way. We are not going to ban rescue helicopter flights, but we are preparing to regulate unorganized and unnecessary flights.”
So far, there has been a local demand to restrict helicopter flights in the Everest region, except for rescue operations. Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality has called for a halt to regular flights, citing misuse of helicopters. However, tourism entrepreneurs argue that excessive restrictions on flights have negatively impacted their businesses, and they are demanding regulated freedom instead.
In the interaction, Home Minister Lekhak stated that Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is well aware of the issues in the Everest region. He said that the Sagarmatha Sambaad program is being conducted to address these problems.
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