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TAAN elects new executive committee

The 35th annual general meeting (AGM) of the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN), held on Friday, elected a new executive committee with Ramesh Dhamala as the new president.

The panel led by Dhamala swept the election winning all 17 posts on offer. Dhamala, who garnered 321 votes, defeated his competitor Jangbu Sherpa by 60 votes. Immediate past president Mahendra Singh Thapa and president of TAAN Pokhara Chapter Narayan Sapkota are also in the executive committee. The 23-member executive committee will take complete shape after the newly elected president nominates four members.

Keshav Pandey, Kami Rinji Sherpa, Kul Bahadur Gurung and Sagar Pandey have been elected senior vice-president, first vice-president, second vice-president and general secretary, respectively. The AGM also elected Pasang Sherpa, Gopal Babu Shrestha and Tilak Bahadur Thapa Magar as secretary, treasurer and joint-treasurer, respectively.

Similarly, Gokul Sapkota, Palsang Tamang, Pasang Tendi Sherpa, Namaraj Gauli, Ang Pemba Sherpa, Rajendra Sapkota, Nilhari Bastola, Meghnad Timalsina and Dhan Prasad Gurung have been elected as executive members.

The new executive committee will serve for a term of two years.

The AGM was inaugurated by secretary at the ministry of culture, tourism and civil aviation (MoCTCA) Sushil Ghimire.

He also unveiled maps and promotional DVDs of three trekking trails — Humla-Rara, Rara-Khaptad and Jaljala —in the mid- and far-western development regions.

Secretary Ghimire also felicitated the top five trekking companies with the ‘Best TIMS Sales Award’. Royal High Mt Trekking, Earthbound Expeditions, Sasha’s Mountain Way Trekking, Thamserku Trekking and Himalayan Encounters were the top five companies for fiscal year 2012/13 in terms of issuance of TIMS cards.

Ghimire also felicitated Raju Chitrakar of the TAAN Secretariat and staff of TIMS Check Point at Tatopani with the ‘Best Staff Award’ and handed over a letter of appreciation to joint secretary at MoCTCA Purna Chandra Bhattarai.

Speaking at the AGM, immediate past president Thapa said that tourist spending has not increased in line with the growth in tourist arrivals.

“The government should look into the issue seriously,” he added, urging the government to fix a minimum benchmark price for tourism products and services so as to increase tourist spending.

source: the himalayan times,21 Sep 2013