Siblings From Jagtial Scale Mount Patalsu, Promote CM’s Anti-Drug Message

Karimnagar: Two siblings from Alur village in Raikal mandal, Jagtial district, successfully scaled Mount Patalsu in Himachal Pradesh and unfurled a banner carrying a message from Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy that read: “Say yes to life and no to drugs.”

Maniraj, 18, and his sister Rishitha, 16, were encouraged by their father, Lakkam Raju, a village farmer, to pursue adventures in life.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Maniraj shared that he and his sister were intermediate (MPC) students at a private defence academy college in Karimnagar, which organised the adventure.

With the support of their father, who had worked in Saudi Arabia, and their coach, Mahipal Reddy, a former Army man, they completed the climb of Mount Patalsu. The trek took two days and cost them Rs 10,000 per person.

They, along with their coach, made all necessary arrangements and travelled to Manali. On the first day, they began their trek in the morning, reaching an altitude of 4,250 metres after seven hours. They set up a base camp to spend the night, along with other trekkers from various parts of the country. The next day, they descended in about six hours.

Rishitha mentioned that she was the youngest in the group and initially felt apprehensive about the climb. However, being with her brother made the experience easier, and she successfully completed the trek. She added that while the mountain was not very steep, the weather at the summit was extremely cold.

"Since we had prepared with clothes, gloves, blankets, and tents, we were able to complete the trek despite the challenging weather conditions. After reaching the summit, my brother and I displayed the banner with the Chief Minister's message," she concluded.