Hyderabad: Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the Sports Authority of Telangana State (SATS) A. Dinakar Babu rode a bicycle from his residence in Sainikpuri to his office at Lal Bahadur Stadium (17 kilometres) on Thursday in an attempt to promote physical activity that is vital to one’s health.”
“The thought has been playing on my mind for quite a while and today I was keen to try it out,” the IAS officer told this newspaper. “I just wanted to set up an example, promote an active lifestyle and send a good message to others,” Mr Babu, who also plays tennis and swims regularly to maintain fitness, added.
Getting there was quite a task though. “The traffic was an issue... also pollution,” said the 55-year-old said of his one-hour-10-minute ride — he started at 9.40 am and reached the Lal Bahadur Stadium at 10.50 am.
Mr Babu also spoke of the larger good. “In many countries, the most commonly used vehicle for road transport is a utility bicycle. Certain countries rely heavily on bicycles and their culture has developed around the bicycle as a primary form of transport. In Europe, Denmark and the Netherlands have the most bicycles per capita and most often use bicycles for everyday transport which creates a huge impact on the society and nature.
The world is rediscovering the wheels without fuel as using bicycles for transport in place of fuel based vehicles has vast benefits in terms of health and environment.
The bicycle is no longer only for the poor who cannot afford to have an automobile. It is a must possession for everyone in a futuristic 21st century and will go a long way for a pollution free and environment friendly society for us and the coming generation,” he said.
