Thaindian News

Kathmandu, May 18 (IANS) Nepal’s civil servants Wednesday created history by summiting Mt Everest, the highest peak in the world.

Nine civil servants, accompanied by 15 Sherpa guides, stood on the 8,848m peak, keeping the pledge of the Nepal Civil Servants’ first Everest Expedition to conquer the summit and prove to the world that the republic’s state employees were no mere pen pushers.

Nepal’s tourism and civil aviation ministry said the nine summiters were Gyanendra Kumar Shrestha, Sant Kumar Maharjan, Hari Guragain, Subir Shrestha, Tulsi Ram Bhandari, Surath Pokhrel, Padam Bhandari and Khimlal Gautam.

Gautam, working with the National Landless Project in Kathmandu, is the youngest member of the team at 27, while the oldest is 54-year-old Laxman Bhattarai, spokesperson at the tourism ministry.

More members of the 16-member team are said to be waiting to summit in the next couple of days.

The leader of the team, Lilamani Poudel, was recalled this week after a major reshuffle of bureaucrats saw him become the new home secretary, shifted from the office of the prime minister and council of ministers.

At least one more member was forced to abandon the climb earlier this month due to breathing problems.

Originally, the team included a woman. However, Rukmini Gurung had to exit from the expedition soon after the initial training as she had to undergo a heart operation.

Poudel said civil servants took the initiative to help the government’s campaign this year to attract one million tourists from across the world. It would also help acquire first-hand information about the effects of global warming on mountain tourism, emphasise the campaign to keep the mountain garbage-free and inspire all government staff, he said.

The government had earmarked NRS 3 crore for the expedition and waived the fee for the climbing permit.

The venture by Nepal’s civil servants has also inspired India. Poudel told IANS there have been queries from New Delhi about the possibility of a similar expedition from the neighbouring country next year.

A 14-member Indian Air Force expedition, including eight women, is also readying to summit the peak this month and nearly a dozen more Indians are also climbing on their own.

The Nepali achievement comes at a time civil servants are locked in a grim battle with politicians.

Finance secretary Rameshwar Khanal, a veteran civil servant, resigned recently after a battle with Finance Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari, who is accused of trying to protect corporate houses found guilty of tax evasion during a state investigation.

Nepal’s Jhala Nath Khanal government admitted this month it would not be able to complete the new constitution by May 28. Now the floundering prime minister is locked in another battle to woo the other parties and have the deadline extended by one more year.

(Sudeshna Sarkar can be contacted at sudeshna.s@ians.in)