Promoting Sport Climbing: Reasi’s Mountaineering Association Elects Ashwani Katoch as President
Newly Elected Leaders Pledge to Elevate Mountaineering in Reasi District
Reasi, 18-02-2024 : Ashwani Katoch, Principal of Amba Kids Home, Panthal (distt. Reasi) who has been in the forefront to promote sports especially sport climbing in the district, has been unanimously elected as the President of District Mountaineering Association, Reasi in an election meeting held at Press Club of Jammu. Sumit Khajuria, a prominent mountaineer and a sport climbing judge of J&K was elected as General Secretary of the Association.
Whereas Abhi Sharma of Katra, an adventure sports promoter was unanimously elected as Vice President, Ms. Tania Thakur of Reasi, a sport climber and Ashwani Sharma of Katra were elected as Joint Secretary and Treasurer respectively of the district association.
Five members of the Executive body which included Sumaiya Kousar of Mohore, a north zone sport climbing medalist, Ramnik Nowadha of Katra, Mohd Asif of Mohore, Akul Sharma of Reasi and Bandhu of village Panthal were also unanimously elected.
It was also resolved by the elected body to nominate Shiv Kumar Sharma, President of J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association and a former Joint Secretary of J&K Sports Council, as Advisor of the District Mountaineering Association.Shiv Kumar Sharma humbly accepted the offer and assured to take up all the matters regarding promotion of adventure activities in the district to the highest govt level.
Whereas Shawetica Khajuria, General Secretary of Mountaineering Association of J&K, was the Observer Sonam Sidharth,an executive member, was the Returning Officer for the elections.
After the conclusion of the election Ram Khajuria, founder President of Mountaineering Association of J&K and Shivani Charak, the top ranked sport climber of India who were special invitees in the meeting interacted with the newly elected members and gave them concrete suggestions for the promotion of adventure activities especially sport climbing in Reasi district.
Sumit Khajuria, the newly elected General Secretary who has been a successful organiser of many trekking and mountaineering expeditions, while addressing the members thanked them for the trust they had imposed in him and announced that very soon a meeting of the Association shall be held to devise ways and means to promote trekking in the Trikuta hills especially Devi Pindian shrine for the local as well as trekkers from outside the district. Concerted efforts shall also be made to create climbing infrastructure in the district for organising climbing competitions so as to produce more champion sport climbers, he added.