Thiruvananthapuram: In view of increasing awareness and educating the citizens to conserve the coral reefs, the Indian Army on Sunday launched the Bison Blue Waters Expedition in the island of Agatti in Lakshadweep. The expedition was flagged off by General Commanding Officer of Bison division Major General Rajesh Singh. The event, attended by civil and military officials, citizens and school children, kick started with a beach marathon. The marathon witnessed a huge participation of school children, who ran along with army men on the beach. B Mohammed, the principal of the local higher secondary school was an active participant of the event. "I am proud to be associated with such a noble cause and all the students of my school are being taught the importance of preserving our environment", he said. The people also took part in power rafting, scuba diving and para motoring. Dr. Vinod, an expert from World Wide Fund-India chapter, honoured the event by speaking on the ways of preservation of ocean life and protection of environment. He asked the local residents to preserve the coral paradise of the island. "Coral reef is a very sensitive eco-system and we need to preserve it to mitigate the effects of the global warming", he said. Expedition team leader Colonel Vivek Jaswal claimed that his team was trained at the premier training institutes of the Indian Army and would create awareness

on ecological concerns threatening these islands over the next six weeks. The expedition team will also interact with the people of Lakshadweep Islands, spread awareness on need to preserve the fragile ecology of their Islands. The adventure team consists of six officers and 54 other ranks of the elite Bison Division. These events will also be held at Kavarati on March 24 and Bangaram on March 26. A special drive would be organised on March 26 to make the youth aware about the recruitment procedures of the Armed Forces. Also, a special medical camp would be organised for the benefit of the local population. The expedition is expected go a long way in bringing the local population closer to the men in uniform.
- Mar 23, 2009