BANGALORE: The Kodagu Police Sub-Inspector, P.N. Ganesh, has said that he did reach the summit of the Mount Everest and refuted the report which is contrary to his claim.

The newspaper had carried a report from Kathmandu quoting a mountaineering agency.

Mr. Ganesh who was in the city to meet and clear the doubt about his feat with the Director-General and Inspector General of Police, B.N.P. Albuquerque, blamed a Nepalese mountaineering agency, Parikrama, for rubbishing his claim. He is surprised over attempts to deny him the glory.

The second Kannadiga to climb the Mount Everest told The Hindu that the Nepalese agency is denying him the achievement as he still owes it Rs. 2 lakhs. From the beginning, he was hampered by shortage of funds. The Everest expedition turned him a debtor and he owes up to Rs. 3 lakhs to his friends.

Mr. Ganesh said the expedition cost him Rs. 18 lakhs. He thanked the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, for sanctioning him Rs. 5 lakhs.

About the report that he has not produced his photograph on the summit, Mr. Ganesh said that pictures were taken by other members of the expedition team. "I cannot be expected to take my own photograph." He was part of an international team of climbers and he is expecting the "clinching evidence" to come from a foreign country. He remained on the summit for only eight minutes and did not notice the tripod which is stated to have been installed there by the Chinese. Mr. Ganesh said that he was not accompanied by a Sherpa when he scaled the top of Everest. The two sherpas who were with him returned to the base camp as one of them suffered a fall and another turned ill. Mr. Ganesh said the Indian mountaineers compared poorly with their Western counterparts in the matter of equipment and funds. He had to buy the equipment and special clothing in Thailand. He could not afford a solar camera. The policeman hailing from Padubadri in Udupi district climbed the summit on June 2, three days after Flt. Lt. Chaitanya also from Karnataka made it to the top. Mr. Ganesh said that he had met Flt. Lt. Chaitanya and spent some days with him at the base camp.

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