The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has formally recognized Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa's record of 10 hours 56 minute 46 seconds to scale the summit of Mt. Everest, set on May 26, 2003. According to a press release, the cabinet meeting on July 29 quashed the protest filed by fellow mountaineer Pemba Dorjee Sherpa on June 12 and upheld Lhakpa's record. The ministry sought written information from Appa Sherpa, who holds the record of ascending Mt. Everest 13 times, and the joint team of the Royal Nepalese Army and Indian Army. They confirmed Lhakpa's claim of ascending the summit at 3:56:46 a m on May 26 2003.
According to Appa, he reached the summit at 3:41 a m and met Lhakpa 10 meters below the summit. He returned to the summit on the request of Lhakpa and helped him hoist the Nepali national flag made of brass on the summit. The flag could be seen in the photographs taken by other mountaineers who reached the summit after 4:15 on the same day. Eckhard Schmitt, leader of Jubiliance Mt. Everest Expedition that included Lhakpa, and the official of ministry stationed at the base camp, also verified the time.

OTHER NEWS

• Cigarette consumption up by 1200 folds in 15 yrs: : Consumption of cigarettes and tobacco products has increased by 1200 fold in Nepal in the last 15 years. There is the production of about 6,000 tones of tobacco every year in Nepal. This was informed at a meeting of Primary Health Service Resource Center (RESPHEC) being organized here. The meeting is held to discuss on framework convention of controlling tobacco related products. On the occasion, Dr. Ram Prasad Shrestha of the Ministry of Health said every year about 5,000,000 people die of tobacco related disease in the world. Presenting working paper, he said about 600,000 persons die every year due to the consumption of tobacco in India.
  
  
• Air pollutants rise with decrease in rainfall: With most days sunny last week the level of particulate matter (PM10), a major hazardous solid pollutant in the air of Kathmandu Valley, rose to "unhealthy levels" at Putalisadak and Patan, according to weekly pollution figures released by the Ministry of Population and Environment (MoPE). The pollution monitoring stations at the above sites recorded an average level of PM10, at 125 and 130 microgram per cubic meter respectively. The weekly average of the pollutant at the same places a week ago was 112 and 115 microgram per cubic meter with the advent of this year's monsoon. PM10 is fine, solid particles with diameter less than or equal to 10 micrometers. A major and alarming solid pollutant in the air of the valley, PM-10 is hazardous to human health as it is very small and remains suspended in the air for a long time and easily goes into human lungs. The rising level of the pollutant has been a serious concern in the valley.
  
  
• Potential of tourism highlighted: Highlighting the potential of the tourism sector on accelerating the socio-economic development of the South Asian region, experts Sunday said that there should be greater regional cooperation at the SAARC level for sustainable development of the sector. The experts were speaking at the inauguration of a five-day training program titled "Tourism Management" in the capital Sunday. They stressed on the need to develop human resource for utilization in the tourism industry.
  
• Hapless rickshaw-pullers in Kathmandu bemoan their fate: When cities are clogged chock-o-block with vehicles of every description, rickshaws continue to provide many a Kathmanduite with convenient and cheap transport, and tourists with a novel way of getting around our historic city. While other vehicles contaminate the valley air by belching toxic fumes, ultimately causing many a harmful disease to valley residents, rickshaws, which are manually propelled, emit no killer pollutants. The shrill tring of speeding rickshaws are a trademark of Kathmandu's inner city alleys. Many of us have had a chance to enjoy this unique means of transport, which speed passengers from one location to another in a jiffy.
  
• Two dozen hotels, lodges close down: Over two dozens of hotels and lodges located in Thakurdwara, a popular tourist destination of the district, have closed down in the absence of foreign tourists and domestic visitors. "Apart from poor tourist arrivals, lack of proper roads linkage and bridge to Thakurdwara too affected people movement to the place, regarded for uniqueness in tradition and culture," said Krishna Bhattarai, President of local hotel association. Regarded as a gateway to Bardiya National Park, another major tourist destination of the district, Thkurdwara is connected with the East-West Mahendra Highway by a 13 km long muddy road. Also the failure of the government in constructing the much-talked concrete bridge on a segment of this road have rendered movement of vehicles difficult.
  
  
• Call to upgrade world heritage sites in danger: Dr Richard Engelhardt, Regional Advisor for Culture of Asia and Pacific, UNESCO, warned that the Kathmandu Valley, which has been declassified in the list of World Heritage Sites in danger, could be completely deleted from the list of World Heritage Sites if immediate attention is not paid to upgrade the sites. "But the government alone cannot make the entire upgrading. There has to be equal participation of the civil society for the purpose," he said. Early this month, UNESCO had declassified the Kathmandu Valley that boasts seven different heritage sites out of eight such Nepali sites, to the list of World Heritage Sites in danger due to "uncontrolled urban development".
  
  
• Landslides and floods: 58 dead, over 30 missing: At least 58 people were confirmed dead and 21 others missing in separate incidents of landslides and floods triggered by incessant rains, chiefly in the western parts of the country in the past 12 hours, according to reports. According to reports pouring in from across the country, beside the 22 people killed in Gorkha's Manakamana VDC, 11 perished in Chitwan, nine in Nawalparasi, seven in Makwanpur, six in Tanahun, one each in Rupandehi, Bara and Siraha districts.
  
  
  

By Hari Shrestha, Resident Representative in Kathmandu