PANAJI: The United Nations General Assembly has declared 3rd June as World Bicycle Day acknowledging the uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the bicycle, which has been in use for two centuries, and that it is a simple, affordable, reliable, clean and environmentally fit sustainable means of transportation, fostering environmental stewardship and health. To celebrate the day CCP and Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Ltd is organising a cyclothon on 3rd June at 7am which will commence from Garcia de Orta, Panaji. Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, will flag off the cyclothon.
The city of Panaji will also observe World Environment Day on 5th June under the global theme of ‘Only One Earth’, highlighting the need to live sustainably in harmony with nature by bringing transformative changes – through policies and our choices – towards cleaner, greener lifestyles. A beach cleaning drive will be held to commemorate the day. NCC cadets and Samrat club will be part of the drive at Miramar, 7 am onwards followed by ‘nukkad nataks’.
“World Bicycle Day draws attention to the benefits of using the bicycle — a simple, affordable, clean and environmentally fit sustainable means of transportation. It is a well-known fact that riding a bicycle is not only good for one’s health but is also good for the environment as it is a zero pollution mode of transportation. We are happy such initiatives are welcomed by the city dwellers and enjoyed.” said Vivek Parsekar, Municipal Engineer, Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP).
“This cyclothon will be a landmark event for a city that is in dire need of its citizens to come together and adopt cleaner, sustainable mobility options. We are happy to see an overwhelming response from the Panaji residents. We hope the younger generation learns the important lesson of sustainability and live healthy lives.” stated Agnelo J Fernandes, Commissioner, Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) who will be part of the cyclothon on 3rd June.
Expressing her happiness, Nikita Gadkar, Assistant Manager IPSCDL shared, “This is our third year organising the cyclothon. We are happy that actor Spandana Pillai will be joining us in this initiative along with former hockey player Jagdeep Singh. This initiative is under the World Bicycle Day trying to inculcate healthy habits among young and old. We hope more people participate and make this a way of living.”
The registrations for the cyclothon have already begun and attendees will include citizens across age groups and teams from the Sensible Earth community. The participants of the cyclothon can register on the spot and will receive medals for participation. The first 150 participants will receive T-shirts and a tote bag. The cyclothon will begin and end at Garcia de Orta and will pass through DB Bandodkar Marg, Dr.Jack De Sequeira Road, Dona Paula Beach and Divja Circle. Water refill stations will be available along the route and refreshments will be provided.
Talking about the beach cleaning drive to be held on 5 June, Col. MKS Rathore, Commanding Officer 1 Goa Bn NCC, Puneet Sagar Abhiyan said, “We strive towards making the environment better and cleaner for our future generations. NCC always engages in such activities along with Puneet Sagar Abhiyan, to bring change at the macro level where we focus on cleaning the various water bodies. We are happy to work towards this along with the Corporation of the City of Panaji on World Environment Day. We have more such drives planned over the year and we will keep working towards creating a better environment.”
“In line with the theme, CCP will be launching the #AmkaNakaPlastic and #MakaNakaPlastic campaign in the Panaji Municipal Market on the occasion of World Environment Day. The campaign supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH India (German Corporation for International Cooperation GmbH) and NGO partner The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI) will run for 21 days starting on World Environment Day and will culminate on 26th June 2022.”, sharing about the initiative said Sanjiv Sardessai, Sensible Earth NGO. The campaign will see volunteers interacting with shoppers and vendors through distribution of #MakaNakaPlastic upcycled cloth carry bags with an aim to reduce the use of single use plastic bags in Panaji and to begin a transition to more sustainable options. 6000 bags will be distributed across Panaji, Margao and Mapusa markets.
Panjim Cycling Club has pledged support for the cyclothon along with BLive, Rotary Club of Panaji for the Cyclothon. Taj Hotels will be offering refreshments for the participants.
