West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee may leave for Nepal on Saturday to expedite the operation to rescue mountaineer Chhanda Gayen, who went missing while trying to climb the treacherous West Ridge of Kanchenjunga peak.
“The Chief Minister may leave for Nepal tomorrow if necessary clearance from the External Affairs Ministry is received by then,” West Bengal Youth Affairs Minister Aroop Biswas told newspersons at the State Secretariat here.
“The Chief Minister is keen on going to Nepal to expedite the rescue operation of missing mountaineer Chhanda Gayen,” Biswas said.
“State Chief Secretary Sanjoy Mitra is trying to contact the External Affairs Ministry for necessary clearance, but no official could be contacted as yet,” the Minister said.
“The Chief Secretary has also contacted S Rao, Indian High Commissioner in Nepal to assure that all expenses for the rescue operation will be borne by the State Government,” he said.
Biswas said that the Chief Minister rang up Gayen’s family members here and assured them that the State Government was doing its best to rescue the climber.
A two—member rescue team comprising veteran climbers Ujjwal Roy and Devdas Nandi, sent by the State Government, have reached the Kanchenjunga Base Camp by helicopter, he said.
They would be accompanied by Tashi, the sherpa who was with Gayen and three others during their climb to the Kanchenjunga main peak last week in their search for the woman mountaineer.
