PUNE: Giripremi’s ambitious Mt Kangchenjunga Eco Expedition 2019 was flagged off on Sunday at PYC Hindu Gymkhana, Pune. Vijay Pusalkar, Chairman, Indo Schottle Auto Parts Private Limited and Air Marshal Bhushan Gokhale (Retd.) handed over the Tricolour to Umesh Zirpe, the expedition leader and his climbing members.

The team of 10 climbers led by Zirpe will leave on March 31 for the expedition which is scheduled in April-May 2019.  

A group of eco trekkers comprising 30 people are part of Kangchenjunga base camp. The eco trekker group also received banners and flags for their expedition. The group, comprising scientists, doctors and other scholars, will conduct research on the biodiversity and flora and fauna of Kangchenjunga.

Zirpe said, “Kangchenjunga Eco Expedition 2019 is the biggest civilian expedition on the country’s highest mountain. This expedition is beyond climbing. Under the project, our team will collect soil samples at various high-altitude locations and submit them to scientists and researchers. We are constantly in touch with scientists to ensure the best possible result. As far as the climbing team is concerned, it is a perfect blend of experienced mountaineers and relatively newer climbers.”

“The 10-men team will climb India’s highest peak. Out of these 10, six are Everest summiters and rest have enough experience of high-altitude peak climbing including 6,000, 7,000 and 8,000-metre peaks. The team has been training hard for the expedition and all the climbers are ready to summit the peak in May,” Zirpe added.