Indian army team commence 900 km cycle expedition across Arunachal

A 22-member Indian Army team on Sunday embarked on a 900-km-long challenging mountain terrain cycling expedition across Arunachal Pradesh along the India-China border, a defence ministry official said here.

"The expedition is being held in high altitude areas over 12,000 feet to 14,000 feet above mean sea level and where weather and terrain are a formidable challenge, the freezing temperatures and rain makes the task further difficult," the official said.

The team is being led by Major Puneet Sharan of Indian Army's Blazing Sword Division.

The team will cycle for twenty days through a treacherous route comprising road, jeep tracks, footpath and cross country trails and finally reach their destination - Tezpur in Assam.

The army men would cover West Kameng and Tawang districts of Arunachal Pradesh, over four major mountain passes

"The passes traversed includes Bomdi La (7,274 feet), Se La (13,700 feet), Bum La (16,500 feet) and Gonkar La (15,567 feet)," said the official, adding that the team mission is to spread and promote the spirit of adventure and nature conservation, reach out to the local populace including school children and ex-servicemen, and spread the message of peace, solidarity and national integration.

--IANS

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