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Man pedals 6,500 km to spread eco message
The driving factor behind Mehra’s cycling expedition was the 2013 flash floods that devastated the fragile ecosystem of Kedarnath and claimed over 5,000 lives.
When most people of his age work on post-retirement plans, Bhupendra Singh Mehra (58) of Uttarakhand decided to pedal his way to many states to propagate a message -- conserve nature before it’s too late.
In the last three months since he started his bicycle journey from Dehradun on October 16, Mehra, a resident of Haldwani, travelled 6,500 kms and touched eight states. It was not Mehra’s first tour though.
The driving factor behind Mehra’s cycling expedition was the 2013 flash floods that devastated the fragile ecosystem of Kedarnath and claimed over 5,000 lives. The rampant construction along river banks, encroachments in forests and degradation of wildlife habitats are some key issues that he highlighted during his tour.
He requested people and over 5000 children he met in 200 schools to participate in the process of conservation.
“The 2013 disaster was a lesson for people of Uttarakhand. And it forced me to think that if we won’t take precautions, this is not going to end,” said Mehra, donning a hat and a red stole around his neck, after concluding his journey here on Tuesday.
Mehra was also on a campaign to spread awareness on keeping the environment clean.
“Indians want their houses clean but not their localities. They want their offices clean but not the country. If each resident of India takes one little step of segregating waste and dumping it in municipal bins, it is going to solve a big problem of waste management,” he added.
During his three-month tour, the conservationist visited Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Daman, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttarakhand.
“I will continue this effort and will keep on sensitising people about conservation of the mother earth,” he signed off.
