Men in khaki will turn brand ambassadors for tourism and cycling as 52 personnel from the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) will ride nearly 1,756 km in a span of 14 days.
The “Karnataka Darshana” is scheduled to start on July 12 from Bidar and end in Bengaluru on July 25, during which 15 cities, 25 districts, and important cultural heritage sites of Hampi, Moodbidri, Mysuru, Belur, and Vijayapura among others will be covered.
The gruelling cycling expedition will be led by 53-year-old Bhaskar Rao, Additional Director-General of Police, KSRP. “The second oldest person is nearly 20 years younger than me. I am confident that I will be able to complete the rally,” Mr. Rao said. This is the first time the police force is taking part in a rally this extensive.
The objectives of the rally remain broad, covering tourism and heritage, spreading awareness on open-defecation, road safety, to even greening our surroundings with all participating personnel planting one sapling on each day in the battalions they visit. Over 7,500 saplings are expected to be planted.
“As we are covering large areas, this will also improve connectivity of people with the police force... and, by visiting KSRP battalions, we hope to increase the morale of the KSRP, which had been hit by a spate of suicides and internal strife over the past couple of years,” Mr. Rao added.
On a minimum, the men will be cycling around 150 km a day, with the highest being 220 km on the undulating roads between Shivamogga and Mangaluru.
In preparation for what is expected to be challenging trips, the personnel have spent over a fortnight cycling 150 km in Bengaluru, says Murali H.R. from Namma Nimma Cycle Foundation.
“We want to showcase cycle tourism through this,” he said. Several companies and government departments have come forward to sponsor aspects of the rally, including deployment of physiotherapists, bicycles, cycling gear, and even jerseys.
