CISF cyclothon team arrives in city

Kochi: A team from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which has covered over 3,000km on cycle for the past 23 days, arrived in Kochi on Saturday evening. The cyclothon which started on March 7 from Lakhpat Fort at Kutch in Gujarat will culminate at Kanyakumari.
"There are 74 cyclists and 8 reserve cyclists taking part in the western leg. We have covered 3,200 km so far, and we will be reaching Kanyakumari soon, completing 3,778 km," said Asst Commandant Sai Naik, captain of the west coast leg of the cyclothon.
He added that they are trying to reach out to the coastal population to raise awareness. "We tell the people that they should be aware of the security threats that can happen in the coastal area. We tell them that they should be vigilant of threats such as drug smuggling, human trafficking, arms smuggling, terrorist activities, piracy, etc. Thus, they will be able to spot and report suspicious activities to agencies like us," said Naik. "We get five to six hours of sleep. We start at around 6am and halt by around 9 or 10pm," said Naik.
T Anitharani, a constable with the Ahmedabad airport, said that five among the team members were women.Sadhana Patel, another constable, said that they were able to learn from the people they met and share their knowledge with them. "It was great seeing young girls get inspired by the journey," she said.
The cyclothon was organised to mark the CISF completing 56 years of service. A reception ceremony was held at Rajendra Maidan in Kochi