Mountain Expeditions

The Main regions for expedition in India are Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Below are the some general information regarding the Mountaineering Expedition in Indian Himalayas.

Notwithstanding anything contained in the Foreigners’ (Exemption) Order, 1957 dated 9.1.1957 no foreigner or group of foreigners shall climb or attempt to climb any mountain peak in India without obtaining the prior permission in writing of the Central Government on an application made in that behalf through the Indian Mountaineering Foundation and without complying with such conditions, including specification of route to be followed, accompaniment by a Liaison Officer, use of photographic and wireless Communication equipment as may be laid down in this behalf.

If any person contravenes the provisions of this Act or of any order made there under, or any direction given in pursuance of this act or such order, he shall be punished with punishment for a term which may extend to five years and shall be liable to fine, and if such person has entered into a bond in pursuance of clause (f) of sub-Section (2) of section 3, his bond shall be forfeited, and any person bound thereby shall pay the penalty thereof, or show cause to the satisfaction of the convicting court why such penalty should not be paid.

All expedition teams are advised to plan their expeditions in such a manner that the schedule or route is not changed and leader/members are not added or substituted at a later date. It may be noted that any change in the schedule or route and addition/substitution would entail a further delay of up to one month in issuing permits. However, deletion of names from planned list does not pose any problem; hence the need for keeping adequate number of reserves is emphasized. Other points for consideration are:-

(I) carefully go through the Brochure issued by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF).
(ii) Collect all relevant data and useful information about India in general and peak to be climbed in particular.
(iii) In case of difficulty, approach IMF for information and copy of report of successful expedition concerned of yesteryears.
(iv) Peaks can be booked and expeditions mounted directly by the leader of the expedition team

It will facilitate processing, if application along with required documents, is sent to the IMF, at least three months before the proposed date of arrival of the expedition to India. If the required details are not received at least three months before the date of arrival of the party, grant of the permit from Govt. of India and issue of `X' Mountaineering Visa by Indian Embassy/High Commission abroad may get delayed. Also, if any particular detail required in the application form is not correctly furnished, the expedition application will not be processed.

MOUNTAIN SAFETY / PROTECTION
Members of the expedition are advised :-
(i) To get themselves medically examined before starting on the journey.
(ii) To ensure that at least one or two members of the expedition have experience of high altitude climbing.
(iii) To bring wireless sets with them or take on hire from IMF, for communication between camps on the mountain and the base camp.
(iv) To bring radio receiving sets in case weather forecasts by the All India Radio are required to be arranged by the IMF.
(v) To ensure that environment safeguards are implemented in their program so that the area and peak visited by them suffers no damage, and is left clean for subsequent expeditions.

ASSISTANCE FROM STATE GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES
On arrival at the last district or sub-division of Garhwal, Kumaon, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, the leader and the Liaison Officer must report to the District Magistrate/Deputy Commissioner or the sub-divisional officer and Superintendent of Police and the Army's formation headquarters. Expeditions are advised not to engage porters by direct negotiations with them. The district authorities will endeavor to help in engaging porters for expedition, at the prescribed rates and the Liaison Officer will assist in this task.

INSURANCE COVER
Members of the expedition must have insurance cover for accident risks and ground/ helicopter search and rescue.
A copy of the insurance policy is required to be handed over to the IMF at the time of briefing of the expedition in New Delhi. This insurance policy should have a clause that in the event of an accident, all charges connected with ground/helicopter search and rescue would be borne by the expedition team. Besides, it should have a special clause of letter of credit stating that US$ 6000 will be immediately paid to IMF in the event of ground/helicopter search and rescue mission undertaken by the Indian Air Force.