Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation formed a three-member probe committee led by joint secretary at the ministry Purna Chandra Bhattarai to study the demands of agitating tourism entrepreneurs but the protesters are not impressed by the government move.

The committee will submit its report –within 15 days – after studying the four-point demand of the Joint Tourism Coordination Committee (JTCC), the ministry said in a press note.

The committee will also look into the complaints filed against Nepal Tourism Board at the anti-graft body Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), apart from probe into expenditures of the board from fiscal year 2011-12.

The ministry has also asked the committee to study management of TIMS card as well as income and expenditures. The ministry also said that the committee will study the Financial Bylaws of the board and make necessary suggestions to improve it.

However, the agitators have said that they would continue their protest programmes as the study committee does not include private sector representatives and tourism experts. “The government should restructure the committee and include tourism experts and private sector representatives,” JTCC coordinator Ramesh Dhamala said.

Meanwhile, five private sector representatives in the board of tourism board – including Phurba Gyalzen Sherpa, Dhruba Narayan Shrestha, Pampha Dhamala, Tika Ram Sapkota and Rewat Bahadur Thapa – organising a programme in the capital today – said they would resign, if the ministry is ready to fulfill the demands placed by protestors.

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