Swachchh Ganga: ITBP to undertake over 2,000 km voyage from October

NEW DELHI: Troops of border guarding force ITBP will undertake a massive 2,350 km 'Swachchh Ganga' river rafting expedition next month as part of efforts to contribute to the government's mission of cleaning the river.

The expedition is expected to be flagged off on Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 from Dev Prayag in Uttarakhand by Union Minister Uma Bharti and it will conclude its journey in December in the Bay of Bengal.

The all-river voyage will be undertaken by a skilled 30-member team of the adventure sports trained force and meander through five Ganga states and 49 cities in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal in a stretch of 2,350 kms.

"It is planned that more than 10,000 Indo-Tibetan Border Police force personnel will participate in the cleanliness drive at various locations where the expedition travels to. During this, the team will also collect water and soil samples and submit them to laboratories to ascertain the level of pollution in the river.

"The teams will also collect polythene and other waste from the river and will dispose it as per guidelines of environment ministry," a senior official said.

The team, as part of the 'Namami Gange' project, will also spread awareness about government initiatives like 'Beti Bacho, Beti Padhao' and 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan'.

Heads of various state governments and Union Cabinet Ministers are expected to felicitate the squad at various locations on the banks of Ganga.

The expedition will end at Ganga Sagar in West Bengal in the first half of December.

Raised in 1962, the ITBP is tasked to guard the icy Indo-China border.