Under Mission Gange, the 40-member team led by the noted mountaineer Bachendri Pal left for Bijnor on Monday from Chandi Ghat on rafts. The rafting team was flagged off by Haridwar MP and former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’. Pal, the first Indian woman to summit Mount Everest, had arrived in Haridwar on Friday and had launched her Swachh Ganga and Swachh Bharat campaign from Ganga near Har Ki Paudi.
The team members of ‘Mission Gange’ comprising mountaineers, environmentalists, scientists, movie makers and IIT engineers interacted with school students and villagers for three days. They also cleaned Ganga ghats. Covering 1500 km in Ganga on raft, the drive would end in Patna on October 30.
Flagging off the rafting teams, ‘Nishank’ said, "The drive launched by the team led by Bachendri Pal to make the people aware of keeping Ganga clean is worthy of appreciation. Ganga standing for faith of the nation must be kept clean. All members of Sparsh Ganga have also extended full cooperation to Mission Gange."
During 'learning from leaders' series held at Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, Pal said, "Sankalp (resolution) is a solution to every problem.
This is why I still find myself standing before a Mount Everest." She urged the students to get emotionally attached to the environment and work together to ensure that all live and prosper on earth.