Environmentalist Sundarlal Bahuguna succumbs to Coronavirus

Noted environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna on Friday succumbed to Coronavirus complications at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Rishikesh. He was 94.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned the demise of the environmentalist.

In a tweet, the Prime Minister said, "Passing away of Shri Sunderlal Bahuguna Ji is a monumental loss for our nation. He manifested our centuries-old ethos of living in harmony with nature. His simplicity and spirit of compassion will never be forgotten. My thoughts are with his family and many admirers. Om Shanti."

For years, Bahuguna fought for the preservation of forests in the Himalayas. The Garhwali environmentalist was the face of the Chipko movement in the 1970s and 80s. 

Bahuguna was instrumental in getting late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to ban the felling of trees. 

Bahuguna undertook a 45-day fast in 1995 over the Tehri dam project, which forced the then when the central government to promise that it will review the environmental concerns arising out of the project. When the promise was not fulfilled, he went on fast again the following year for 74 days. The fast was broken when the Prime Minister gave a personal undertaking to conduct a thorough review on Bahuguna's terms.

In 2009, Bahuguna was honoured with Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award.

• Coronavirus
• Sundarlal Bahuguna
• environment
• environmentalist
• Chipko movement