Special envelope released on Malaprabha activist

Belagavi: The postal department has attributed a special postal envelope to Dr Poornima Gouroji of Ramdurg town on International Women’s Day.
The envelope uses the headline “One Woman Army Fights to protect Malaprabha River” (sic), the one used by TOI in its report dated January 25. The report featured Dr Poornima’s long legal fight to protect Malaprabha river.

Considering the details published in TOI, the Belagavi division of the postal department decided to bring out an envelope, attributing to Dr Poornima’s selfless fight. Initially, the department has printed 1,000 envelopes, Superintendent D S Kulkarni said.

Doctor by profession and environmentalist by passion, Dr Poornima has been fighting for the cause since the past 15 years. Thanks to her efforts, Ramdurg became the first town in the district to get 24x7 drinking water supply. “It’s an honour that the postal department has recognized my efforts towards protecting Malaprabha river. There is a saying that there is a woman behind a successful man, but in my case, it’s the reverse. In a fast-changing world, women don’t want the sympathy of men, but their support,” she said.

The special envelope, which costs Rs 20, was released at the head post office on Thursday in presence of Dr Poornima, Cantonment Board CEO Divya Shivaram, superintendent of post office Kulkarni and assistant superintendent G B Naik.

Speaking on the occasion, Cantonment Board CEO Divya Shivaram said that it is wrong to consider women as helpless. “It’s been scientifically proven that women have more ability of coping with multiple tasks at a time,” she said.

The envelope carries a picture of Dr Poornima receiving an award from former governor T N Chaturvedi on one side and a script on her fight and achievements on the reverse side.

Dr Poornima wants a 172-km stretch of the Malaprabha river from Naviluteerth to Kudalasangama to be rejuvenated by removing encroachments and developed on the lines of Sabarmati river in Gujarat. Following her efforts, the state government has given an undertaking in the high court about rejuvenating the river. The work has already started.