Paraplegic to drive into record books

New Delhi: A 29-year-old paraplegic man is planning to drive across the breadth of of the country — from Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat — as part of his campaign to make the country “accessible” for ‘divyangs’ (people with disabilities).

Delhi-based Eric Paul aims to start from Arunachal Pradesh’s Tezu to Gujarat’s Koteshwar, covering 3,500 km in six days (144 hours) in a bid to enter the Limca Book of Records.

During the journey, Mr Paul, who is paralysed from below the chest after a road accident in 2012, will raise awareness about the troubles being faced by specially-abled people in public places through his campaign “Accessible India”.

Union minister Rajnath Singh met Mr Paul and his family at his residence in Delhi on Friday morning. He flagged off the campaign and extended his beat wishes to Mr Paul before he left for Tezu from where he will start his drive on Nov. 28 to reach Koteshwar on Dec. 3.

“During this tour, I’ll educate people to contribute to ‘Accessible India’ by setting up ramps, contribute in donating specially-designed gadgets, props, helping in audio-video aids and being more supportive and helpful to people with special needs,” he said.

Last year, Mr Paul entered the Limca Book of Records twice after driving from Leh to Kanyakumari (nearly 4,000 km) and completing the Golden Quadrilateral (6,000 km) in a record time in his customised hatchback with hand controls.

A follower of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’, he has campaigned for cleanliness. He said his physiotherapist, Pradeep Kumar,  will accompany him during the journey.