Senior IPS officer Harish Baijal promotes fitness and environmental conservation by cycling every day from Dadar residence to Bandra office
In 2013, Baijal cycled all the way from Delhi to Mumbai as a tribute to the Indian police force completing 150 years of service; Harish Baijal on his way from Dadar to his Bandra office
Ditching the official vehicle, a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer has been cycling his way from home to office and back, every day. Harish Baijal, posted as the Joint Commissioner of Vigilance, Maharashtra, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), came up with this healthy alternative that helps him stay fit and support the environment.
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Once the DCP with the Mumbai Traffic Department, Baijal has also been instrumental in promoting the Don’t Drink and Drive and the Anti-Honking campaign.
Cycling has been a passion for many years. In 2011, when Baijal was transferred from Mumbai to Nashik, he helped form the Nashik Cyclist Association to promote the cause. In 2013, he pedalled all the way from India Gate in New Delhi to Gateway of India, Mumbai, as a tribute to the Indian Police Force completing 150 years of service. In the past, he has also travelled from Mumbai to Kanyakumari on a cycle as well as from Nashik to Pandharpur to promote environmental conservation. The 53-year-old is usually seen riding the Bianchi Spillo or the MTB Scott Aspect. “Even during my stint as the Deputy Commissioner of Police with the Mumbai Traffic Police department, I tried to promote cycling as an alternative mode of transport,” said Baijal, who lives at the European Quarters in Dadar East.
Wearing a helmet, Baijal leaves home around 9.30 am and is in office by 10 am. He takes the Tilak Bridge from his home, and via Bandra Reclamation and Western Express Highway, he reaches his Kalanagar workplace in about half-an-hour. “I cycle around 8 to 9 kilometres a day, and it keeps me fit,” says Baijal. He wants others to follow him and cycle from home to office if they are staying nearby as a situation like New Delhi (air pollution) can be avoided due to it. Baijal’s colleagues claim that he reaches faster on a bicycle than while travelling in his official car, as he’s able to avoid traffic snarls.
Thanks to Baijal’s efforts in the formation of the Nashik Cyclist Association, the district now has several avid cyclists. Baijal wants to promote the same in Mumbai as well. “He was transferred to FDA in December, and for a few months he did cycle to work, but stopped during the monsoon. However, since September he has been riding from Dadar to office and back home,” added a colleague.
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