Bachendri Pal expresses concern over building of road to Mt. Everest

Indias first woman Everest conqueror, Bachendri Pal today expressed concern over Chinas building of a road to the worlds highest mountain peak.

Ranchi/New Delhi, June 20 : India's first woman Everest conqueror, Bachendri Pal today expressed concern over China's building of a road to the world's highest mountain peak.

Pal was concerned by the dual stand taken by nations who on one hand talk about global warming, melting of glaciers and on the other, plan to build road to these natural landscape, which could further disturb its ecological balance.

"On one side they talk of saving the environment and global warming, the melting of glaciers and the increasing water level, on the other, they are building a road; This is something I really don't understand," said Pal in Ranchi.

Environmentalists are already worried about the huge garbage dump that has been piling up on Mt. Everest.

Over the years, the slopes have become a dumping ground with mountaineers leaving behind tonnes of supplies, climbing gears, oxygen bottles, gas cans, batteries and ropes.In recent years, many Nepalese and foreign mountaineers have removed some of the garbage from this mountain, but the threat to the peak is alarming, say environmentalists.

Meanwhile, China's Minister of Culture, Sun Jiazheng who was in New Delhi to attend a tourism seminar, told reporters today that the move to build a road to Mt. Everest on the Tibetan side, was part of infrastructure development, aimed at easing the trip to the world's highest mountain for the Olympic Torch bearers.

"The purpose of developing these infrastructures is to make it more convenient for the mountaineers," Jiazheng said.

The torch relay for the 2008 Beijing Games has been touted by organizers as the longest in the history of Olympics.

According to Chinese officials, the 150-million yuan (19.66 million dollars) project would involve making a pitch road on an existing 108-km unpaved road up to the foot of the mountain, which would take about four months.

Construction agencies have said that upon completion, the road would become a major route for tourists and mountaineers who are crowding on to Mt. Qomolangma, known as Mt. Everest to the rest of the world.

ANI