Upper Mustang
With the government still undecided about the allocation of resources collected from tourists in Upper Mustang, local residents have warned that they would bar tourists from entering the district from October unless the government allocates 60 percent of the tourist royalty for the development of the region.
Locals said Upper Mustang has not received its share as provisioned by the Local Self Governance Act for the last 16 years. The government collects more than Rs 770 million in revenue annually through tourism from Upper Mustang since 1993. However, locals claimed that the government provides a nominal Rs 70 million to the district. As a result, the region still lacks electricity, roads, schools and hospitals. Food shortage is a perennial problem as the topography of Upper Mustang is unfavourable for crops.
Foreign visitors are required to pay a free of $500 per head for ten days while entering Upper Mustang. Visitors should pay additional $50 per day its they want to extend their stay. Usually, trorist influx is higher in October and November.
An Upper Mustang-based social organisation Chhodung Sports and Youth Development Committee took a decision to this effect, demanding that the government resolve the issue at the earliest. Chairman of the organisation Chhewang Jigme Bista said they would bar entry of foreign tourists in the district if authorities conderned did not pay heed to their demand. “With the government cheating us time and again, we are compelled to take such a decision,” said Bista.
Mustang folks had launched protests last year as well. But they called off the agitation after the government assured that the issue would be resolved soon.
According to Tourism Ministry statistics, 2,162 tourists visited Upper Mustang in 2010, up by 30.3 percent compared to the previous year.
The picturesque, majestic windswept landscapes, flat-roofed stone houses and their inhabitants, who follow Tibetan culture, draw tourists from all over the world to this region.
Source: www.nepalmountainnews.com
