One of Arunachal’s most famous mountaineers, Everester Tapi Mra, and his assistant Niku Dao have gone missing after they set out to climb Khyarii Satam peak in East Kameng district. The duo did not return to the base camp for a week, setting alarm bells ringing. The state government, through the East Kameng district administration, has announced a series of steps to start a rescue operation. But it will not be an easy task. Just to reach the base camp of Mt Khyarii Satam takes six days. The weather is also bad, making it difficult for helicopters to start rescue operations.
At this juncture, everyone can only hope that Mra and his assistant are safe. This incident should be a wake-up call for the state government. Mra is a sports promotion officer in the department of sports. He had tried to climb Mt Khyarii Satam earlier also but failed. However, what is worrying is that he went ahead with the expedition with an untrained assistant. There is also no clarity on whether he informed the district administration or local officials about his expedition. This kind of dangerous expedition needs proper coordination. The local administration should be kept informed. There are many peaks in the state like Mt Khyarii Satam. Increasingly, they are attracting the interest of climbers from across the world. Therefore, the state government should come up with a proper policy, so that incidents like this are not repeated. Everester Tapi Mra made the state proud by climbing Mt Everest. He wanted to be the first person to climb Mt Khyarii Satam. The whole state is praying for his safe return.