Paragliding entrepreneurs claimed he had not taken permission from its umbrella organization Nepal Airsport Association (NAA) and Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.[break]
The Malaysian national (Passport No, A 20017940) had been staying at a house in Khahare near Lake Side for the past one month.
Tourism entrepreneurs complain that there the number of accidents have increased in recent days due to unsanctioned paragliding. They said Tuesday´s weather was not appropriate for paragliding. Two tourists had died last year while a tourist was injured while trying to land on Phewa lake in similar incidents.
“These types of accidents are regularly happening due to lack of monitoring,” NAA General Secretary Sobhit Baniya told Republica. Baniya claimed the government has been losing hundreds of thousands each year due to such unsanctioned paragliding. “A tourist is required to pay US$ 56 to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal to get permission for paragliding and NAA gives route permit to only those tourists who have paid the amount,” Baniya reasoned.
“The Malaysian tourist had not taken permission and such frequent accidents have sullied the paragliding industry of Pokhara,” Baniya, who operates Sarangkot Paragliding Pvt Ltd, claimed.
Baniya said the inexperienced Malaysian had flied without fastening clip on his legs. “Flying without clip is tantamount to committing suicide.”
Rajesh Bomjan, who has been operating Sunrise Paragliding for 14 years, slammed the government for not monitoring paragliding.
“The government doesn´t monitor itself nor does it give NAA the permission to monitor. There are regulatory bodies for paragliding all over the world but the government has not formulated any policy even 15 years after start of paragliding in the country,” Bomjan, the first paragliding pilot of Nepal said.
Related story
Efforts we put into our work are hardly visible
_20201123175940.jpg)
_20240311121839.jpg)
-1200x560-1779450784.webp)
