CM pedals five-and-a-half-km in 21 minutes, 18 seconds on 'WED'

Visakhapatnam: Waving hands and greeting people looking at him in awe with a smile all along the route, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu pedalled five-and-a-half-km from Andhra University Grounds to Hotel Novotel in just 21 minutes and 18 seconds, marking the ‘World Environment Day’.

Unhindered by the sweltering summer heat, the Chief Minister reached the hotel pedalling along with an army of public representatives and officials, passing via III Town Police Station, Polamamba Temple and Waltair in Visakhapatnam on June 5 (Friday).

Introducing the Net Zero concept at the AU campus, the Chief Minister directed university officials to prepare an action plan and set an example for other universities by adopting the Net Zero concept, managing solid waste efficiently, following a circular economy, using biogas for cooking, converting to renewable energy, setting up STPs, facilitating PNG pipeline gas and incorporating electric cookstoves. “Involving professors from various departments and outsourcing agencies, a committee would be formed to execute the action plan and promote in-house knowledge. The university should offer a pleasant experience to students where they should love to pursue their studies,” the CM advocated.

AU should become a model university, guide all affiliated colleges, and become one of the top three universities in the world, the CM mentioned, urging students to become part of the action plan and share best practices with the professors and staff.

Expressing concern over extreme heatwave conditions in the recent past and environmental imbalance, Chandrababu Naidu called for individual attention to take the onus of mitigating climate change.

Sharing that Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan has taken up an environmental movement with 5 crore seedballs, the Chief Minister urged companies, offices and institutions to campaign for green initiatives.

Encouraging office-goers to opt for bicycles as their mode of transport to workplaces, the Chief Minister said, “Cycling not just contributes to environment but also helps people stay healthy. Dedicated cycle paths will be facilitated soon. Also, cycling should not be confined to photo shoots but has to become a way of life.”