DEHRADUN: After being criticised for her plan to block the National Highway-74 between Dehradun and Haridwar for a cycle rally scheduled on September 17, minister Rekha Arya has cut down her grandiose plan of pedalling with hundreds of participants.
Ruing that the event was ‘unnecessary politicised’, she said the objective of the cycle rally was not highlighted. “It’s saddening that the issue was politicised, and the noble intentions behind the rally was not communicated properly,” Arya said at a press conference.
The minister of state for women empowerment and child development planned to take hundreds of women from Doon to Haridwar in the rally for which she wanted one of the most important highways in the region to shut down for several hours. But now she will take along a little over a dozen professional cyclists without disturbing traffic.
Chief minister TS Rawat will flag off the rally at Police Lines that will reach the Vidhan Sabha on Haridwar Road. Rawat is likely to pedal with fellow cyclists to spread awareness on the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign. The participating women cyclists in the age group of 18-45 years will disperse at the Vidhan Sabha, while she will continue with the professional cyclists till Shanti Kunj in Haridwar where local women will join the rally till the finishing line.
“The only reason behind this change of plan is because the Himalayan Hospital in Jolly Grant falls on the route. The blockage of traffic could have serious implications on patients and I have had a personal experience with such a problem once,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}“The only reason behind this change of plan is because the Himalayan Hospital in Jolly Grant falls on the route. The blockage of traffic could have serious implications on patients and I have had a personal experience with such a problem once,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}Similar events will be held in districts with low female sex ratio such as Pithoragarh, Champawat and Chamol districts in the near future, she asserted.
When HT questioned about her initiative on security of children following the murder of a 7-year-old child at a private school in Gurugram, Arya said her department was in touch with private schools to get psychological test done on their staff.