The team members hold a raft after finishing their expedition. Col Sarfaraz is seen in red jacket.

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 27

A team of the National Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (NIMAS) successfully completed a month long Arunachal River Rafting Exploration Expedition 2020. The 25-member team was led by city-based Colonel Sarfraz Singh. The aim of the expedition was to explore Arunachal Pradesh through the major tributaries of Brahmaputra and promote adventure tourism in the state.

With this, the rafters’ team has set a new national record by covering a total distance of 720 km on seven rivers in a month. The last record was 220 km.

The expedition began on November 22 and concluded on December 23. The team comprised local youths from Arunachal, NIMAS instructors and Army personnel from 22 Mahar and 23 Maratha Light Infantry units.

The event was also in the line with Central Government’s Fit India Movement.

Colonel Sarfaraz (44), who has already tried his hands on several adventurous sports, said, “The seven rivers included, Kameng, Dibang, Nao-dihing, Lohit, Subhansri, Siyom and Siyang. Most of these rivers flow from Eastern Himalayas into Arunachal and then join the mighty Brahmaputra.”

Seven rafters — Sarfraz Singh, Laxman Yadav, Labongo, Darshan, Himmat, Suraj Patil and Tosap Rimme — completed 720 km of seven rivers.

“It is for the first time in the history of rafting that seven rivers were tackled by a single team in a month-long expedition,” he said.

Earlier this year, Colonel Sarfraz Singh with three of his friends had completed a 40-day, four-nation and 4,000-km cycling expedition from Manipur to Singapore.