By IANS,
New Delhi : Union Minister of Science and Technology Kapil Sibal, who is also the sitting MP of the Chandni Chowk constituency, Monday took a break from car rides and instead chose to campaign on the soleckshaw – a different kind of rickshaw – attracting the attention of many.
Kicking off his campaign at 8 a.m., Sibal took the driver’s seat and rode the rickshaw for a few minutes before taking the passenger’s seat and campaigning through the narrow lanes of Chandni Chowk for nearly an hour.
Partly solar battery operated, the soleckshaw is an eco-friendly vehicle that not only brings down the carbon footprint but also reduces the burden on the driver.
“Sibalji decided to campaign on the soleckshaw since it was his initiative as the science and technology minister and is a great tool for the common man. Not only does it reduce labour, since it is partly battery operated, but in today’s time when global warming is such a big issue, it has zero carbon print,” a close aide of Sibal accompanying him on the trail told IANS.
Although launched last year on Oct 2, there are just four soleckshaws in use – all of which were used by Sibal in the campaign trail in the Pili Kothi SPM Marg near the Novelty cinema in Chandni Chowk.
Better versions of the rickshaw with higher speed and ergonomics are expected to be launched in the capital by 2010, before the Commonwealth games.
“He (Sibal) is very keen in implementation of this project because even tourists have expressed a keen interest in them. Therefore they can be used for heritage tours around Old Delhi and the city,” the aide added.
Sibal, who is the Congress candidate of the Chandni Chowk constituency, generally uses a Swift Dezire car or rides atop mini trucks or SUVs for his campaign.