Uttarakhand minister rides scooter to promote fuel saving trolled over expired papers

Dehradun, May 11 (PTI) Uttarakhand Agriculture Minister Ganesh Joshi faced social media trolling on Monday for riding a two-wheeler with expired insurance and pollution under control certificates while trying to promote fuel conservation.
     The minister rode a scooter for nearly 3 km from Garhi Cantt to his camp office today following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to save fuel.
     Social media users claimed that official records of the vehicle -- whose registration number could be seen in a video of the event -- show that the scooter lacked valid insurance and a pollution under control (PUC) certificate.
     They also pointed out that while the minister rode the scooter, his official car followed closely behind him throughout the journey.
     At an event after the scooter ride, Joshi said the ongoing wars in West Asia and its global impact prompted the prime minister's appeal for resource conservation.
    The minister urged citizens to use two-wheelers for short distances to reduce unnecessary fuel consumption and promote simplicity.
    A video of the minister's journey was shared on social media platforms shortly after the event, which some people used to make the claim about the vehicle's insurance and PUC certificate.
     Joshi clarified that the scooter belonged to his personal security officer (PSO) and he used it to return from a scheduled programme.
    "We immediately renewed the insurance and the PUC certificate of the vehicle as soon as I learnt they had expired," the minister told PTI.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)