About two thousand school students and other citizens participated in the eight-kilometre run - Madathon-2016 flagged off from the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) on the occasion of World Environment Day. The run held at about 6 AM also marked the start of a four-day environmental fest organised by local student activists group Making a Difference by Being the Difference (MAD) in Dehradun on Sunday.
Marking five years of the group’s existence, the event is also aimed at promoting environmental awareness among city residents in general and youngsters in particular while also focusing on the issue of revival of Rispana and Bindal rivers in Dehradun.
According to the group, there were about 2,000 participants in the eight-kilometre long run which started from RIMC and passed through Bindal bridge, Kishannagar Chowk and West Canal Road. MAD members had earlier organised sensitisation campaigns in the nearby residential areas about the event which resulted in locals also coming out in support of the initiative undertaken by the youngsters.
Mukesh Rawat, Sunil Kumar and Rajesh Kumar stood first, second and third respectively in the boys category of the run while in the girls category, three siblings Sandhya Bindh, Shweta Bindh and Rinki Bindh stood first, second and third respectively in the run.
As suggested by the Dehradun city magistrate, the group had also decided to ‘donate’ the plastic waste generated during the Madathon event to the Public Works Department to be used in road construction and repair works.