Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal on Saturday urged the masses and tourists to either walk or use bi-cycles to commute in Shimla. He also announced to help Ashadeep,an NGO,in creating a bicycle bank from where people could hire the vehicle to travel in and around the city. Shimla is crowded by vehicles but people talk about enthusiasts who rode bicycles to reach the main town area. There is a scope for setting-up stores (bicycle banks), Dhumal said. The state government will put up boards and hoarding to appeal the tourists coming to Shimla to switch off the ACs and breathe fresh air of the hills,or walk on the Shimla roads to stay fit,Dhumal said. He was speaking at a function organised by the Ashadeep to promote the eco-friendly mode of transportation. The NGO is already associated with Walk Shimla,Walk drive which discourages use to vehicles for local travel. Earlier in the day the NGO had organised cycling expedition and a painting competition on the theme Eco-ride,smooth tide in which students from 20 schools took part. The three winners - Surjit Kashyap of St. Edward School,Gaurav Thakur of DAV,Lakkar Bazar and Sheetal Pathania of DAV School - rode back home on bi-cycles the CM awarded to them as prizes. Sushil Tanwar,founder of Ashadeep NGO,addressing the media,said the motive behind the cycling competition was to educate the youngsters about the importance of protecting the environment.
