Nepal govt hints at reversal of mountain ban for disabled climbers
KATHMANDU - Tourism Minister Jitendra Narayan Dev has hinted at plans to revoke the order tightening rules for disabled people from attempting to climb Mount Everest, known in the West as Qomolangma.
The minister made the suggestion to a delegation of disabled rights organizations on Friday. The group included Hari Budha Magar, who lost his legs in an improvised explosive device blast in April 2010 in Afghanistan and has been training for several months to scale Qomolangma, the world's highest mountain.
On Dec 28, the Cabinet's Bill Committee had approved an amendment to the Mountaineering Expedition Regulation under the Tourism Act, prohibiting double amputees, persons without arms and legs and blind people from attempting to climb the mountain.
