Two departments of Nepal government face to face on flight ban of helicopters and planes around Mount Everest.

Kathmandu, 13 December (HS). Two government departments have come face to face over the decision to ban helicopters and planes from flying around Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak. Sagarmatha National Park comes under the Forest Ministry of Nepal Government, but the Civil Aviation Authority has clearly refused to accept this order of the government.

Sagarmatha Rashtriya Nikunj issued a notification on Thursday banning flying of any type of helicopters and aircraft in the entire Mount Everest region from January 1. The notification states that the sound of helicopters and planes not only affects the surrounding environment but also affects the animals living in the forests in the area of ​​this national park. Now on Friday the Civil Aviation Authority has expressed its inability to implement this decision of Sagarmatha National Park. The authority in its statement said it will not abide by Sagarmatha National Park’s decision to ban operation of commercial helicopters and aircraft within its area and buffer zone.

Authority spokesperson Gyanendra Bhul said the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act, 2029, Himalayan National Parks Regulations, 2036, do not prescribe any provision to ban commercial flights in the area of ​​national parks and its buffer zones. Bhul has stressed that the authority is not bound to follow Sagarmatha National Park’s decision to ban helicopter flights. He believes that this decision of Nikunj is illegal, baseless and irrelevant.