Amit KC, a resident of Jaimuni Municipality of Baglung, is completely blind. He is preparing to climb the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, this spring. This feat would make him the first blind Nepalese to summit the world’s tallest peak, and the world’s second overall.
In an interview with NepalNews, he said that he is confident of getting a permit from the Ministry of Tourism. He has requested the Government of Nepal for financial assistance as well as royalty exemption for climbing permits. He said that his proposal has been registered in the Council of Ministers through the Ministry of Tourism, adding that the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Finance have given their consent.
Director of the Department of Tourism Mohan Bahadur GC informed that discussions are underway in the Ministry of Tourism about giving royalty exemption to Climber KC.
The Tourism Ministry has also asked the Home Ministry, via a letter, to support KC financially.
KC, a blind climber, has completed the necessary training to make his Everest expedition a success. He has successfully climbed three mountains higher than 6,000 meters. He is the first blind climber in Nepal to climb three mountains.
He had successfully climbed the 6,186-meter-high Island Peak and the 6,654-meter-high Mera Peak six years ago. He also successfully climbed the 6,119 meter high Lobuche Mountain in June, 2021.
Climber KC had previously already reached an altitude of 8,000 meters in his first attempt to climb Mt. Everest. He was also the first Nepali to reach the fourth base camp during the Everest ascent in 2017. However, his expedition to the summit was not successful due to bad weather. He had to spend 36 hours in the fourth camp, and ran out of oxygen as well.
Immediately after this, the Government of Nepal banned people with disabilities from climbing any mountain. The government had amended the mountaineering regulations and published a notice telling people with disabilities not to climb mountains.
Amit KC had filed a writ petition against the decision. After the Supreme Court issued an interim order not to bar a person with disability from climbing mountains, his mountaineering path was reopened. A joint bench comprising the then Chief Justice, Gopal Parajuli, had ordered not to stop people with disabilities from climbing the mountain.
Amit KC, who was working as a primary school teacher in a local school in Baglung, left the job nine years ago and started climbing mountains. He said that, if his campaign was stopped this time, it would be stopped due to financial reasons only. He has urged everyone to help the blind as they have not got any sponsor so far.
According to the Department of Tourism, 53 teams have already received permission to climb 16 different mountains in Nepal this spring. 19 teams have got permission to climb Mt. Everest. So far, a total of 451 climbers, including 341 men and 110 women, have been allowed to climb various mountains.
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