Nepal foots Rs 10 lakh rescue bill for 6 Indians trekking illegally despite warnings

Nepal spent an estimated Rs 10 lakh (INR) from its disaster management fund to rescue six Indian trekkers who had allegedly entered the restricted Upper Dolpa region without mandatory permits, ignored warnings against travelling during heavy snowfall and pressed ahead, leaving their guide behind.The group, comprising five trekkers from West Bengal and one from Andhra Pradesh, spent two nights stranded in the mountains before a helicopter evacuated them on Monday. Authorities subsequently charged them NPR 1.6 lakh (approximately Rs 98,000) in permit fees and penalties but reduced the fines considering their physical condition after the ordeal.The six trekkers — Moumita Halder, Piyali Koley, Jajla Trivedi Kumar, Aditya Singha, Diplina Biswas and Rajesh De — were rescued at dawn on Monday from Danigad, around 300km northwest of Kathmandu. The helicopter made three round trips, evacuating two trekkers on each round. All six were taken to Dunai, the Dolpa district headquarters, where they underwent medical examinations and were subsequently discharged. The operation required a civilian helicopter after a Nepal Army aircraft scheduled to arrive on Sunday developed a technical problem and could not fly.Dolpa chief district officer Junu Hamal told TOI that authorities could have imposed a maximum fine of NPR 50,000 (Rs 31,250) on each trekker but instead charged NPR 20,000 (Rs 12,500) per person. The trekkers also paid $40 (Rs 3,800) each towards mandatory permits. "Seeing their condition, we gave them a concession," Hamal said. However, she criticised the group for ignoring repeated warnings from security personnel, local residents and their guide, putting both themselves and rescuers at risk."Such irresponsible behaviour is unacceptable," she said. "Nepal is already struggling to find funds for reconstruction after the devastating flash floods on Aug 26. At a time when we are trying to rebuild affected communities, having to spend precious disaster funds on a rescue necessitated by such carelessness and irresponsible behaviour is extremely frustrating," she said.The district administration had restricted travel to Upper Dolpa from Oct 29 because of heavy snowfall, but the trekkers allegedly left their guide behind and continued towards Shey-Phoksundo lake despite warnings. They became stranded near the Numa La and Baga La mountain passes, and their guide alerted authorities on Saturday evening. Snow and poor mobile connectivity complicated rescue efforts. The remote terrain and snowbound passes made a ground rescue difficult, leaving helicopter evacuation as the practical option.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.