Nepal’s premier mountain organization NMA elects new leadership
Settling mountain guide license row in the context of case already pending at the Supreme Court remains a major challenge of the new leadership.
Veteran tourism entrepreneur Nima Nuru Sherpa has been elected as the head of Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) in the election held on Friday, June 10.
Sherpa secured 735 votes against his closest contender Rajendra Man Shrestha’s 122 votes.
Thakur Raj Pandey has been elected the senior vice-president, Ang Dawa Sherpa as first vice-president, Dawa Yangzum Sherpa as second vice-president, Mohan Lamsal as general secretary, Dhan Bahadur Gurung as secretary and Mukti Pandey as treasurer.
The new team claims to be the leadership of professional mountain guides. NMA is authorized to issue climbing permits and manage expeditions for 27 peaks.
Established in November 1973 the association is also responsible for promoting mountain tourism, climbing sports and mountain cultural heritage, mountain environments and preserving them.
The NMA elections had been delayed citing the COVID pandemic. The outgoing leadership remained in the office for two terms. The delay had drawn criticism from professional mountaineers.
Last year, the NMA was in loggerheads with the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association (NNMGA), an organization of certified international elite mountain guides over the issue of the official designation of “mountain guide”.
The NNMGA’s position was that not all high altitude workers should be given the official title of mountain guides. But the NMA was for giving mountain guide recognition to those recorded in its red book.
The NNMGA filed a case in the Supreme Court against the NMA decision to award high altitude workers the title of mountain guides. The government halted distribution of mountain guide certification for now. This irked the NMA and decided to suspend 43 renowned professional guides from its membership over the issue. One of the newly elected members said that the resolution of this issue is the major challenge of the new leadership.
