Indian Oil’s Saksham Cyclothon at Indore – About 30,000 Cyclists Takes Part

TNI News Service

Webdesk, TNI Indore, 23^rd January, 2018: Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India, inaugurated the Saksham Cyclothon event at Indore in the presence of Mr. Kailash Vijayvargiya, President, Indore Cycling Association, Mr. Ramesh Mendola, local MLA and other dignitaries here today. This largest cycling event witnessed in the country was held at Sayaji Square, Indore, to create mass awareness on fuel conservation and popularise cycling as an environment-friendly alternative means of transport, in order to make the country greener, people healthier and economise fuel. The highlight of the event was the participation of Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan, Mr. Kailash Vijayvargia, Mr. Ramesh Mendola and other dignitaries in the 13-km green ride. Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan, in his address, touched upon the benefits of cycling. He said that cycling improves one’s health and also helps the nation in fuel conservation. He praised the people of Indore for participating in large numbers in this endeavor, responding to the call of Hon’ble Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi towards conserving fuel. He added that a milestone has been set in Indore by creating the largest cycling event till date. Mr. Vijayvargiya praised the initiative by PCRA and the Oil Industry and said that such rallies will help spread the message of conservation of petroleum products, besides being beneficial for the environment. The world over, efforts are on to reduce dependence on traditional fossil fuels. In India too, different options are being explored. Cycling is now seen as one of the most cost-effective options that will not only reduce our dependence on fuel, thereby reducing carbon footprint, but also provide us with the regimen needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Keeping this in mind, Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) in association with IndianOil, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum, Oil India, NRL, GAIL, ONGC-MRPL, and CPCL, has planned 76 such events across the country to encourage people into taking cycling as a mass movement. The Indore event, in which around 30,000 cyclists participated, was organized by PCRA and all the above mentioned public sector oil and gas companies, ably supported by Indore Cycling Association. The event comprised the following five categories and originated from three places in the city.