National
Child porters trusted more
With the onset of tourist season, many children in the district have left their homes to work as porters for tourists coming to trek in the Kanchenjunga CircuitAnand Gautam
Chheten Sherpa of Lelep VDC said that the main peak season for trekking is mid September to mid December, and during this period many children who are above eight years of age from VDCs like Khejenim, Sawadin, Ihkabu, Mamankhe and Liwang leave their houses to carry trekking gears and equipments for tourists who come to trek in the circuit. Most of these children are accompanied by their parents and villagers, who are also mostly porters.
Sherpa, who leads a team of porters, said that they reach as far as Suketar Airport, which is located at the district headquarters including Fuling and Thiwa of Likim to receive tourists.
Kumar Sherpa, 40, of Liwang-9, who leads another team of porters, said that he was given the responsibility of “managing manpower” to work as porters for mountaineering expeditions by his relative Sagar Sherpa, who runs a trekking company in Kathmandu, and for this he is paid additional Rs 4000 per month. Sagar, who is involved in trekking business for the past three years, believes that children are trusted more than adult men in this business as they do not drink carelessly and are much more responsible as well as reliable. He said that a porter saves Rs 600 a day on an average and can earn about Rs 30,000 during peak season.