Cycle propagandist for river linking reaches Doon

Dehradun, Dec 22 (UNI) Tamil Nadu's S Sanjeevi, who set on a cycle trip across India to propagate the need of linking all the country's rivers and to encourage water conservation, reached this district of Uttarakhand today.

He had started off on cycle from his home town Thiruvallur on 24 September this year, covering about 6000 km, touching main states of northern, southern and central India, and plans to return through Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and is planning to wrap up his expedition at Chennai.

''I will touch all the major cities of different states, however, sparing North-Eastern states,'' Sanjeevi said. The man who never got past fifth standard when he was in school, rued that he was very much distrubed by the politics related to the water issue.

Donning a red striped T-shirt, a trousers and a Chappal despite the chilly weather, in all high spirits he told UNI that it was his firm determination to go all over the country, meet people and tell them about the need of water conservation, urging them to pressurise their state governments in linking various riversof India.

''Differences between the states of North like Punjab and Haryana, and between Tamilnadu and Karnataka in south regarding distribution of water, are well evident,'' he said, adding that ultimately it was farmers who were facing the wrath of differences between them.

Pointing towards his cycle with a board attached to its front with the message he said though he felt exhausted many times, but the positive response he was recieving from different people he met during his journey rejuvenated him.

It is the second time that he has taken up the 'cycle trip'.

Earlier, he had launched similar expedition across the country spreading the message of unity and solidarity.

''That time too I had covered almost 10,000 km and this time too I would cover around 10,000 km,'' he said with twinkling eyes.

UNI