KATHMANDU, Dec 21: Unlike on other days, the Chief of Army Staff Gaurav Shumsher JBR on Friday entered the Army Headquarters riding a bicycle. The departure has been described by the Nepal Army as an effort to keep the environment clean and reduce traffic congestion in the valley.
The CoAS reached the Headquarters along with security personnel at around 8am on Friday cycling all the way from his residence at Jhamshikhel, Lalitpur.
CoAS Rana on Thursday had directed all officers working in the valley division not to use vehicles on Fridays. The direction would be applicable only during the office hours, between 10am to 5pm, according to the NA.
With CoAS Rana and other senior army staff choosing to cycle to their offices, almost one hundred vehicles and four hundred motorbikes used by army officers stayed off the road on Friday.
The Army Chief on extreme right. (Photo: Republica)
According to the NA spokesperson Suresh Sharma, even the officers who live far from the Headquarters did not use their private vehicles. “Some officers who stay quite far used public vehicles or simply walked to reach the office.”
CoAS Rana´s facebook page reads ´Save the environment, stay fit and reduce traffic congestion´. His post further says, “With the view to contribute whatever little we can, we have started to bike/walk to the Army Headquarters every Friday.”
I hope that this initiative will create awareness about health and environment among our personnel and reduce the valleys´ traffic congestion to some extent, his post reads. He has also urged Kathmandu residents to participate in such campaigns to protect the city´s greenery as well as the planet.
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