Jammu, Oct 20 (IANS) The Indian Army, in a major environmental drive, cleaned four tonnes of non-biodegradable waste on the 14 km stretch from Baltal to Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, a senior official said Tuesday.
The track, located at the height of 12,000 feet above sea level at Baltal to the cave shrine, was littered with plastic bags, empty mineral water bottles and other non-biodegradable material.

This exercise was undertaken by the High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS), Sonamarg, 100 km north of Srinagar, under the plan laid out by its Commandant Brigadier Jagmohan Varma, said Colonel D.K. Kachari, PRO of the Northern Command.

A team of 247 Army personnel undertook the drive to collect non-biodegradable waste lying in the area with each individual collecting 20 kg approximately.

A total of four tonnes of non-biodegradable waste was collected and disposed off, cleaning up the environment under the banner “Save Green Himalayas”, Kachari said.