'Climb for free' at high mountains of U'khand

IN a move to boost adventure tourism and mountaineering, the Uttarakhand government has announced the opening of 83 Himalayan peaks for expeditions and scrapped fees for Indian mountaineers.

- NARENDRA SETHI @ Dehradun

The peaks, ranging from 5,700 to 7,756 metres, are spread across the Garhwal and Ku-maon regions. The initiative is a joint venture between the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board and the forest department.

“We have opened world-re-nowned summits, including Kamet, Nanda Devi (East), the Chaukhamba group, Trishul group, Shivling, Satopanth, Changabang, Panchachuli, and Neelkanth. These are located across districts like Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Rudraprayag, and Tehri Garhwal,” Uttarakhand Minister for Tourism and Religious Affairs Satpal Maharaj told this newspaper.