7-day cycling expedition flagged off by ITBP to mark 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'

New Delhi [India], August 10 (ANI): The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has launched a 7-day cycling expedition covering 225 kilometres from the height of 14,200 feet at Nathu La mountain pass in Sikkim to Siliguri to celebrate the 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav'- the 75th year of Independence and Fit India Movement.
"The cycling expedition began on Monday and it will conclude on August 15. The flag in will be on August 15 on the occasion of Independence Day," said ITBP.
The 48th Battalion of ITBP organised a week long cycling expedition during which team members will organise medical camps, distribute medicines, plant tree saplings and engage in career counseling for the youth besides other awareness drives.
Raised on October 24, 1962, ITBP, which started with 4 battalions, since its restructuring in 1978 has undergone expansion to 56 service battalions, four specialist battalions, 17 training centres and seven logistics establishments with a total strength of approximately 90,000 personnel.
Presently, ITBP has been guarding the India-China border in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh state from the Karakoram pass in J-K to Jechap La in Arunachal Pradesh. The altitude of ITBP border out posts ranges from 9,000 ft to 18,750 ft where the temperature dips to (-)45 degrees Celsius.
ITBP Battalions are also providing security to various installations of national importance throughout the country which includes Rashtrapati Bhawan, Vice President House, Rumtek Monastery (Sikkim), Tihar Jail (New Delhi), LBSNAA (Uttarakhand) and various sensitive installations in Chandigarh (Punjab) and Jammu (J-K).
In view of increased Naxal activities in various parts of the country, ITBP was inducted in district Rajnandgaon (Chhattisgarh) in December 2009 to thwart Naxal menace. At present, eight Battalions are deployed in Rajnandgaon, Narayanpur and Kondagaon districts of Chhattisgarh. (ANI)