About to catch a bus or board a cab? Banish the thought! Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K. Sangma on Wednesday urged denizens to “walk to work” as Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches the Fit India Movement on Thursday.
Conrad will also be walking from his official residence to his workplace at Yojana Bhavan here.
“As part of the Fit India Movement initiated by the Prime Minister to encourage the path of fitness and wellness for all, I encourage all the citizens of the state to take part in this mass movement by joining the efforts of the initiative and join me by walking to work,” Conrad said in a message.
He said Fit India will be a mass public movement and encouraged citizens to participate by taking photographs and videos and uploading them on social media.
The chief minister will also attend a programme on Fit India Movement at Yojana Bhavan and announce programmes related to fitness.
During his Mann Ki Baat address on Sunday, Modi, while speaking on Fit India Movement, said, “We have to keep ourselves fit and the nation has to be made fit. It will be a very interesting campaign for everyone — children, the elderly, the young and women and it will be your own movement.”
However, he did not reveal the specifics, and asked people to wait till Thursday.
“I will tell you about Fit India Movement in detail on August 29. I am not going to forget connecting you with the movement because I want to see you fit. We should unite to set some goals for the country,” Modi had said.
Conrad had walked to his office on World Environment Day last year.
Although there are many citizens who walk to work or schools or colleges, the Meghalaya capital has been facing the brunt of traffic congestion.
The average number of vehicles registered in East Khasi Hills, of which Shillong is the headquarters, is nearly 1.8 lakh. Besides, vehicles come from other districts and neighbouring states as well.
During weekends, on an average, between 5,000 and 7,000 vehicles ply here. While the roads have remained unchanged for decades, at least 40 to 50 new vehicles are registered in Shillong alone on a daily basis.