Mountaineering Foundation frames new uniform guideline for clubs
Kolkata: With more youth and students showing interests in mountaineering and adventure sports in the state, the West Bengal Mountaineering and Adventure Sports Foundation (WBMASF) under the state Youth Services and Sports department has framed a uniform guideline that has to be followed by all the clubs in Bengal to provide training on the same.
Sources say the guideline has already been framed following discussions and proposals by the members of the WBMASF. Senior officials of the Youth Services and Sports department are also members of the foundation and they have put forward the suggestions of the state government in this connection.
A high-level meeting of the foundation will be held on July 6 where aspects related to the newly framed guideline will be discussed. In the same meeting, decisions will be taken on trip itineraries, like which club will take students and youth for training in adventure sports and location among other details.
There are around 100 clubs in the state that take students and youth to different locations, which include Joychandi, Mathaguru and Gajaguru areas in Purulia and Susunia hills in Bankura for training in mountaineering, rock-climbing, altitude trekking, hang gliding, jungle safari and river crossing.
The training takes place between November and February.
The Youth Services and Sports department provides necessary assistance to each one of the clubs for taking students and youth for training.
The clubs get the assistance after successful completion of the training programme with at least 20 boys and girls in each group including two selected from the area where the training would take place or from economically challenged families.
Most of the participants in the training programme are the usually students of class VII to XII.
According to an official, the guideline has already been framed. Hence, the next step would be to make all the clubs well aware of it.
"In a bid to make the clubs aware of each and every aspects of the newly framed guideline, a work shop will be organised in November beginning," the official said.
The workshop will be for 5 days where one member from each club would be present. "The representatives will be going through both theoretical and practical sessions in the workshop. It will help them to follow the guideline while providing training to youth and students," the official maintained adding that introduction of a uniform guideline for all clubs will benefit the trainees as it has been framed following all rules and regulations.
Moreover, the clubs will also get a clear picture on the focus areas of the training programmes on mountaineering and adventure sports.
