PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Thirty-six young mountaineers from Uttarakhand on Monday embarked on expeditions to scale three Himalayan peaks as part of the Tourism department’s efforts to promote adventure tourism. The Tourism minister Satpal Maharaj flagged-off the three expeditions organised jointly by the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) and the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) at the Himalayan Culture Centre in Dehradun.
The three teams, comprising 12 members each, will attempt to scale Mount Bhagirathi-II (6,512 metres), Mount Panchachuli-I (6,355 metres) and Mount Swargarohini-I (6,252 metres). The Mount Swargarohini-I expedition has an all-women team led by experienced mountaineer Lata Bisht. The 12-member team includes women from Nainital, Pithoragarh, Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Dehradun, Pauri, Rudraprayag and Tehri districts.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony, Maharaj said that mountaineering is not just about reaching a summit but also testing discipline, patience and leadership. He said that the government wants young people to become trained mountaineers, guides and adventure professionals and create new livelihood opportunities. The Tourism secretary and UTDB CEO Dhiraaj Singh Garbyal said that the expeditions were part of a wider plan to make Uttarakhand a leading adventure tourism destination. He said that GPS mapping of 100 trekking routes was also underway to make trekking routes safer and develop digital data and a navigation app.
He added that the upcoming Adi Kailash Parikrama 2.0, Ultimate Uttarakhand MTB Challenge and Himalayan Car Rally would further strengthen the state’s adventure tourism initiatives. The IMF president Vijay Singh said that the joint initiative would provide young mountaineers from Uttarakhand opportunities to participate in mountaineering at the national level.
