Uttarakhand mulls reopening Nanda Devi for mountaineers after 42-year ban
The proposal was discussed during a high-level meeting between officials of the tourism department and the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) in Dehradun this week.
Tourism secretary Dhiraj Singh Garbyal said the proposal was "under active consideration". He told TOI, "During the meeting, the issue of reopening of Nanda Devi was discussed with the IMF authorities. We have sought a formal proposal from them and on getting it, we will actively take up the matter with other stakeholders.
The IMF has been making efforts for the reopening of the peak, but now the state tourism department will also follow the matter.
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The meeting also discussed opening four additional peaks for mountaineering: Baljuri (5,922m), Laspadhura (5,913m), Bhanolti (5,645m) in Bageshwar district, and Rudragaira (5,819m) in Uttarkashi.
In addition, officials proposed keeping Gangotri National Park open between Oct and March to allow winter wildlife tourism, especially for snow leopard tracking, based on the Hemis National Park model in Ladakh.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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IMF president Colonel Vijay Singh said he had submitted a formal letter to the state govt requesting the resumption of expeditions on Nanda Devi. He said reopening the peak could significantly boost adventure tourism in the state. Nanda Devi, situated in Chamoli district of Garhwal Himalayas, was closed ostensibly to protect its fragile ecosystem but many believe a contributing factor could also have been an aborted secret mission to the peak that has continued to be an intriguing mystery.
In 1965, a joint operation by the CIA and India's Intelligence Bureau attempted to place a nuclear-powered surveillance device near the summit of Nanda Devi to monitor Chinese missile activity. The device, fuelled by around 5kg of plutonium-238, was abandoned during a snowstorm and could not be recovered in a follow-up mission in 1966. It remains lost in the glacier, and while no contamination has been officially confirmed, experts have long warned that the radioactive material could pose an environmental risk to the rivers fed by the mountain's ice.
Attempts to reopen Nanda Devi have been made in the past but have remained inconclusive. In 2001, the Centre gave in-principle approval to the state govt to allow controlled eco-tourism in the inner sanctuary on a trial basis. However, the plan was dropped after objections from conservationists and the scientific community. A similar attempt in 2012 by the then-state govt to permit limited expeditions was also withdrawn after sustained pressure from environmental groups, who warned that the sanctuary's fragile terrain and unique biodiversity could not absorb commercial activity.
Environmental groups have consistently flagged the risk of increased human interference in the area, saying the region has only gradually recovered since the 1983 ban. Any future proposal to reopen the peak will require not just state-level clearances, but approvals from national environmental authorities, forest agencies and ecological review committees.
The last major ascent of Nanda Devi took place in 1976.
Earlier summits include the historic 1936 British-American climb and India's second ascent in 1964 led by Col N Kumar. The sanctuary was declared a national park in 1982 and a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1988. The area supports over 1,000 species of flora and rare alpine fauna such as snow leopards, blue sheep and Himalayan musk deer, across altitudes ranging from 1,800m to 7,817m.
Nanda Devi also holds religious significance. The Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra, held once every 12 years, crosses alpine pastures like Bedni Bugyal and draws thousands of pilgrims. The 20-day-long yatra, in which pilgrims cover around 280km of the Himalayan terrain on foot, is scheduled to take place next year.
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