It was revealed, as there were no names of Adhikari and Karki in the letter from the Ministry of Tourism sent to Everest Pollution Control Committee (EPCC).[break]
Climbing from the Seven Summit Trek Expedition, they are in the base camp now. One cannot go above the camp unless permission is taken but they have returned from the above the camp.
As it takes more than three months for taking permission for climbing Everest, they were taken as high altitude workers, said Seven-Summit Trek Expedition Chief Mingmar Sherpa.
It is equally recognized if taken permission for climbing or for high altitude worker, he said.
Asked why they should not take permission and is it not evading of revenue and against the law? he said it was not necessary for Nepalese, therefore they were sent as high altitude workers.
He said everything in Nepal is full of hassles and therefore it is not against the law.
However, the Everest Pollution Control Committee Program Coordinator Kapindra Rai said the high altitude worker and climber is different. The certificate to be given by the Ministry is different and it cannot be same, said Rai.
However, Nepali climbers so far have climbed by having exemption of revenue and for it, the cabinet should decide.
If they had applied, the cabinet would have decided, said Rai. One high altitude worker said they have come as climbers after a press conference, but it is immoral to come on some one´s sponsorship as high altitude workers.
Adhikari is sponsored by Mega Bank and has come with the banks´ logo, which is illegal, said he.
Ministry spokesman Mohan Sapkota said they are high altitude workers; their only work is to reach climbers to the summit, but Adhikari and Karki cannot do so. It would have been better if they had taken permission, he added.
The Expedition should pay the high altitude workers, but instead the Expedition itself has charged them Rs. one million each. Any climber from home or abroad should pay 25, 000 US dollars as royalty for climbing Everest.
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