SPORTS REPORTER
JAMMU: The first group of Tawi Trekkers J and K comprising 41 girls of Shiksha Niketan Senior Secondary School, here on Thursday left for Moungri in district Udhampur to participate in the J and K Himalayan Trekking Programme. Led by Shashikant Sharma, the group includes three teachers of the school, Amarjeet Singh, Shaweta Khajuria and Navdeep Kour.
The group was flagged off by Principal of Shiksha Niketan, Rameshwar Mengi in the presence of Senior Vice President of Tawi Trekkers, Ram Khajuria and General Secretary, Shawetica Khajuria as also staff of the school and parents of the students.
“The programme is being organised in the beautiful Moungri area (Udhampur District), North of the Trikuta hills. With the base camp at Youth Hostel Moungri, the budding trekkers shall trek five kilometres (to and fro) to the sacred Shiv Parvati cave, where a fair is organized every year during May,” informed Ram Khajuria.
The real adventure begins on the next day when they shall enjoy the five kilometres trek through calm and cool pines to reach an elegant meadow. Situated at an altitude of 6,000 ft, the place commands a panoramic view of the Pir Panjal range in the North. “On the second and third day the trekkers shall be imparted training in the art and techniques of rock climbing and artificial river crossing. The trekkers shall also have interactions with the local people to learn about the local culture and fauna and flora of the area,” he added.
The purpose of the programme was to initiate young boys and girls into outdoor life by offering them a low budget, well organised and properly supervised activity and thus inculcate in them the spirit of adventure and love of nature as also to highlight the tourism potential of the otherwise neglected and lesser known beauty spots of the Moungri area.
The programme is being organised in cooperation with Directorate of Tourism, Jammu, J and K Police department, J and K State Sports Council, Mountaineering Association of J and K, Ibex Adventure Club, Samba, J and K Mountaineering and Allied Sports Club and Snow Trail Mountaineers, Jammu.
Everester, Ram Singh, heads the Task Force Committee as the Field Director while Manik Slathia, Shashi Kant, Sakshi Magotra and Puneet Sharma are the camp leaders.
