Hanging from railings with rappelling gear, the men collected garbage and plastic waste.
A team of the State Disaster Rescue Fund took to the narrow lanes of the Badrinath Shrine in Uttarakhand this morning in a unique endeavor: The team was not involved in any relief and rescue operation for a change.
The team, compromising of 21 people, came out in an earnest attempt to protect the shrine and its environment from the growing plastic menace.
Hanging from railings with rappelling gear, the men collected garbage and plastic waste.
"Though this was not a planned itinerary, the team had taken the onus to spread awareness amongst the locals and pilgrims around the shrine and surrounding area while cleaning up the premises," said SDRF Commandant P Renuka Devi.
Perched at 10,800 feet, the shrine has for ages been one of the most attractive centres of pilgrimage. A ninth century Vishnu shrine, Badrinath attracts lakhs of pilgrims every year in the peak Char Dham yatra season from early May till October-end, who leave behind tons of waste which chokes the pilgrimage town and its surroundings.
Two weeks ago, the team had also undertaken the task of cleaning the area adjoining Satopanth glacier beyond the Gangotri shrine.