Nanda Devi to open for climbers after 4 decades

THE Uttarakhand government is preparing to reopen the majestic Nanda Devi Peak for mountaineering after a nearly four-decade hiatus to boost tourism.

- NARENDRA SETHI @ Dehradun

The move, however, evinces mixed reactions, given the dark secret the mountain hides in its bosom.

Experienced mountaineers like Tarun Mahara recall why there is anxiety: "Sixty years ago, the CIA and India's Intelligence Bureau attempted to install a surveillance device on Nanda Devi to spy on China. It was abandoned in a snowstorm, however, leaving behind 5kg of plutonium-238, which remains lost in the glacier."