Helicopters have been opened for flying, landing and hovering in the Everest National Park area so as not to disturb or affect the forests, wildlife and biological diversity.
Sushma Rana, senior conservation officer of the park, wrote a letter to 11 helicopter companies on Monday evening and requested all the companies to fly, land and hover helicopters in the Everest region by paying the revenue prescribed by law.
Everest National Park Office official Rana previously wrote a letter to all 11 helicopter companies on November 26 stating that due to excessive noise pollution caused by helicopter flights, the settlements and wildlife habitats in the central area of the park have been completely stopped from December 17. .
Before the park's decision, on November 22, Khumbu Pasanglhamu rural municipality Chaurikhark also decided to ban commercial flights in the protected area from January 17 (January 1, 2025). Apart from the helicopter company, the park office has given the decision letter to 8 agencies including Nepal Civil Aviation Authority, Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality, Bhagwati Prasad Gulm, Namchebazar, National Park and Wildlife Conservation Department, Babarmahal, the main agency under the federal government that issues flight permits throughout Nepal.
The member companies of the Air Service Operators Association have said that the obstacles placed on the helipad should be removed and Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality should also send a letter stating that the obstacles in the helicopter flight have been removed.
Chief administrative officer of the rural municipality Jagat Prasad Bhusal said that the decision will be taken at the executive meeting of the rural municipality on Tuesday. The park decided to stop the helicopter flight. The statement was received only late on Monday. "Tomorrow's meeting will take a decision on this with the opinion of the village council," said Bhusal.
The District Administration Office, Solukhumbu issued a notice on Monday afternoon saying that the ban on landing of helicopters at the helipad in Khumbu area by unauthorized persons should be removed immediately and otherwise action will be taken.
'Since some days unauthorized persons have obstructed the movement of helicopters at various helipads in Solukhumbu, serious attention has been drawn to the District Administration Office, Solukhumbu,' said the statement issued by Chief District Officer Anoj Kumar Ghimire. , 'in a helicopter flight operated according to rules Due to public complaints that the obstruction has caused problems such as disaster, patient rescue, tourism promotion etc.
