Guv presents awards to BSF winners in water rafting event

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 19

Governor KK Paul gave away prizes to the winners of the Rustamji BSF White Water Rafting Challenge Cup 2016 at the closing ceremony here today.

The ITBP bagged the first prize in the 20-km white water rafting marathon while the Seema Suraksha Bal (BSF) came second and the Uttarakhand Police third.

In the 500 m sprint event, ITBP’s B team came first, the BSF second and ITBP’s A team bagged the third spot.

The Governor appreciated the “Clean Ganga, Save Ganga” mission that has been started by the BSF in the centenary year of KF Rustamji, the founder of the BSF and its former director general.

He said Rustamji had an impressive personality and was a successful police official. The challenge cup and the clean Ganga mission were fitting tributes to his memory, he added.

The Governor recalled many incidents and memories related to Rustamji. The two-day challenge was organised by the BSF Institute of Adventure and Advanced Training, Doiwala. The institute also organised an awareness campaign regarding Clean Ganges, Save Ganges.

The Governor said the BSF had taken an initiative to protect the environment, besides creating a first line of defence to protect the borders of the country. This initiative to protect the Ganges was appreciable. The efforts to make villagers on the banks of the Ganga aware of the need to keep it clean would help greatly.

He said the Ganga was not just a river. “We call it Maa Ganga and have great faith and respect for it. People take the oath by the name of the Ganga to prove their innocence. The Ganga has an important place in our religious, cultural and social rituals — right from a person’s birth to his death,” he said.

He said the Ganga must be cleaned of polythenes, garbage and waste from homes, hotels and other commercial units .We must resolve to keep it pure and unpolluted.

He said we must resolve to make the Ganga clean and pure so that it reaches other parts of the country from Uttarakhand in a very pure form.

ADG (BSF-Headquarters) Dr AP Maheshwari, former DG Subhash Joshi, ADG (Uttarakhand) Ashok Kumar, Raj Kumar Negi, Commandant of the Institute of Adventure and Advanced Training and several officers of the institute were present.

Officials of the Uttarakhand Tourism, jawans of BSF, ITBP teams, BSF and state Police, students of various schools and colleges, cadets of NCC (Scouts and Guides) and other guests were also present on the occasion.