Bhubaneswar: A 15-member team comprising 10 male and five female members left the city Monday for the fourth Biju Patnaik Himalayan Expedition 2019. The expedition which will be led by Mount Everest conqueror Ganesh Chandra Jena was flagged off by Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Department of Sports and Youth Services, Vishal K Dev from the Kalinga Stadium here.
The mountaineers will try and scale the Mount. Stock Kangri (20,187 ft) in the Leh region with the expectation scheduled to start September 12. Congratulating and wishing the team of young climbers a successful expedition, Vishal Dev said, “The expedition is going to be exciting and challenging for the young climbers. Biju Patnaik Himalayan Expedition is an annual programme started by the Department of Sports & Youth Services in the year 2016 to commemorate the Biju Patnaik Birth Centenary Celebration. The expedition aims at instilling values of adventurism, discipline, team spirit and leadership among youths.”
The team from Odisha will be provided technical support by the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF). The team will be guided by Padmashree Bachendri Pal, the first Indian lady to climb Mount Everest, said a press release issued by the Department of Sports & Youth Services.
PNN