North Eastern climbers gear up for Mount Everest

Chief Secretary Manipur DS  Poonia (5th from the left) speaks to media

IMPHAL, Aug 1: The North Eastern climbers is gearing up to attain new high as seventeen members team will try to conquer the mother of allpeak 'Mount Everest' in February 2013.

Among the seventeen all North Easterner climbers, three are women including two timed Everester Anshu Jamsenpa of Arunachal Pradesh, Wangshuk Myrthrong of Meghalaya and N.Bidyapati Devi of Manipur. The rest includes team leader Dr.L.Surjit Singh, Puyamcha Mohon, M.Shanta Singh, A.Robert, N.Chingkheinganba, Dr. Nelson, W.James Singh of Manipur, Tarun Saikia and Manish Deka of Assam, David Zohmangaiha and Vanlalliana of Mizoram, Kazi Sherpa and Mohon Bishwakarma and Nima Lama of Arunachal Pradesh.

However in actuality, only twelve climbers including five from Manipur, two each from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, one each from Mizoram, Sikkim, Meghalaya will dare the peak while others will act as support staff at base camp. Kazi Sherpa of Sikkim in climbers in waiting.

The expedition will be flagged off from Imphal on February 15 and the second leg to be flagged off from New Delhi in March 20.

Manipur chief secretary DS Poonia, who will be the chief de mission while addressing the media at Classic Hotel said this is the first expedition exclusively by mountaineers from the North East India attempting to scale the highest peak in the world. Dr.L.Surjit and his team had approached me last year with the proposal but it was not feasible at the time. Hopefully early next year, it will be reality and pray to God for the success of the expedition.

Team leader Dr.L.Surjit Singh said, the expedition is to be funded by North Eastern Council under the guidance of Planning Department, Manipur and to be executed by Manipur Mountaineering & Trekking Association. The total budget is about Rs 3 crore but the NEC will sanctioned Rs 2.7 crore and the rest to borne by the climbers in case no sponsership is forthcoming.

As regard to the expedition, most of the climbers had pre Everest expedition earlier on and we are determined to scale the peak. The climbers will undergo the final seasoning and team formation at Nehru Institute of Mounatineering at Uttarkashi.

The youngest climber in the expedition is fifteen year old schoolboy Nameirakpam Chingkheinganba who told the gathering that he will worked to to his level best to bring glory to Manipur and North East as a whole.

Anshu Jamsenpa said she feel very excited about getting her third prospect of making it to the mother of all peak and she is highly positive that the team will successfully scale Mount Everest.

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