2 Railway personnel to attempt expedition to Mt Everest, first-of-its-kind
Mar 17, 2023
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 17 : Two Railway personnel would be attempting a mountaineering expedition to Mount Everest, which is a first-of-its-kind attempt for the Indian Railways, said officials on Friday.
"Naresh Lalwani, General Manager, Central Railway, formally flagged off the mountaineering expedition to Mt. Everest at an event held at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Mumbai.
Naresh Lalwani presented Ice Axe with the flag of the Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) and the crest of the Central Railway Sports Association (CRSA) to Hemant Jadhav and Sandeep Mokashi, two railway men who would be attempting the feat. The ice axe will be carried by these two when they summit Mt. Everest", the officials told ANI.
Speaking on the occasion, Lalwani said "Central Railway Adventure Sports Club members, Hemant Jadhav, Chief Office Superintendent, working in Engineering Branch and Sandeep Mokashi, Office Superintendent, Electrical branch are the first Indian Railwaymen to achieve the feat of scaling Mt. Nun, peak situated at 7135 meters above sea level on 21.8.2022. Now, with the active patronisation of CRSA, they are embarking upon their expedition to Mt Everest. This expedition aims to spread the word about climate change and global warming. This expedition would be the first of its kind from Railways which is itself a record."
He also said Central Railway Sports Association has 450 active sports persons pursuing 40 types of games.
"The Central Railway Adventure Sports Club under Central Railway Sports Association organizes campaigns at many forts in Maharashtra to educate young minds about the value of trekking and forts. Additionally, they have carried out numerous rescue missions that have saved many lives, and the team engages in a variety of activities such as assisting in disaster zones, planning cycling campaigns, and educating people about the significance of cycling," Lalwani added.
Reportedly, the Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) is the apex organization under the Ministry of Railways that functions with the complete mandate of sports promotion at the national and international podiums.
It is the Central Organization for all sporting activities that span national and international Games and Championships. It has a presence in all the Divisions and Workshops under the jurisdiction of Central Railway. CRSA has a battery of sportspersons who have achieved national and international fame and belong to various sporting fields. They have been bestowed with Padma Shri, Arjun Award, Khel Ratna Award, and other awards like the Chhatrapati Award in their fields.
