Civil servants on top of world

KATHMANDU, May 19: The all-civil-servant Mt Everest expedition team may have been depleted by abandonment of six of its members but the rest nine completed the mission they all had started together by standing on top of the world Wednesday morning.



The all-Nepali team--with all its members, support staff, and guides natives--put the Nepali national flag and a flag of Nepal Tourism Year on the summit amidst the blustering winds after reaching the top early in the morning.[break]



“A group of five members and five support staff first reached the top at 5:45 while four members and 10 support staff followed them an hour later,” said Tourism Ministry Spokesman Laxman Bhattarai who gave up summit hope after catching cold and is currently stationed at the Base Camp coordinating the expedition.



Computer engineer at the Tourism Ministry Santa Kumar Maharjan, surveyor at the National Land Use Project Khim Lal Gautam, non-gazetted first class officer at the Ministry of Information and Communications Tulsi Ram Bhandari, non-gazetted second class officer at the Ministry of General Administration Subir Shrestha and non-gazetted second class officer at the Tourism Ministry Hari Dhakal summitted in the first lot. Likewise, section officer at the Ministry of General Administration Surath Pokharel, section officer at the Ministry of General Administration Hari Prasad Guragain, non-gazetted first class officer at the Tourism Ministry Gyanendra Kumar Shrestha and computer operator at the Ministry of Education Padam Bahadur Bhandari reached the top later.



Five members had abandoned due to illness while team leader Lila Mani Poudel had returned to Kathmandu on Sunday after being recalled by the government following his appointment as home secretary.



The team had gone ahead despite forecasts of bad weather for Wednesday hoping that the forecasts would be off-mark as in the past few days after weather cleared Tuesday evening. “It was a bit windy but the weather was fine,” Bhattarai quoted his fellow members as saying.



All the members except Padam Bahadur Bhandari have reached Camp II (6,600 m) and are taking rest there.



“Bhandari complained of fatigue and is taking rest at Camp IV (7,926 m) along with three members of support staff. All of them are safe and will reach the Base Camp Thursday afternoon,” Bhattarai added.

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