KATHMANDU: The Kathmandu District Court has ordered Elite Himalayan Adventure, a company owned by mountaineer Nirmal Purja (Nimsdai), to pay compensation of Rs 11.4 million to Tanka Ghising, the owner of a house in Kapan that was destroyed in a fire following a gas explosion.
The ruling, delivered by Judge Kamal Prasad Pokharel and made public on December 31, 2024, comes after the devastating explosion of stored oxygen and LP gas on September 21, 2022, caused severe damage to Ghising’s two-and-a-half-storey house in Kapan.
The incident also resulted in the tragic deaths of three company employees: Ashok Rai, 32, of Sankhuwasabha; Kasang Sherpa, 29, of Taplejung; and Chowang Sherpa, 26, of Solukhumbu.
The company, which rented the property for Rs 25,000 per month, had been operating its office there since March 2019.
Ghising claimed that Elite Himalayan Adventure illegally stored hazardous materials on the premises without his consent, leading to the fire that destroyed his newly constructed home on one ropani of land.
Initially, Ghising had sought compensation of Rs 3.5 crore, but the court determined the amount based on an on-site evaluation of the damage.
The compensation ruling also leaves room for appeal. If Ghising is dissatisfied with the district court’s decision, he retains the option to take the case to the High Court for further review.
Comment