In 2010, Apeejay Trust partnered with Mlinda Foundation to enhance the capacity of their initiatives in the environmentally-sensitive region of the Sundarbans of West Bengal. In recent years, increased human activity in this area has led to many ecological threats, including pollution that is caused by the increasing number of diesel powered vehicles that ply on land and water.

We saw an opportunity in partnering with Mlinda to build capacity in this region that would lessen the local population´s dependence on diesel.

Millions of people living in the Sundarbans depend on the 320 diesel–powered ferry boats and over 3700 ´van rickshaws´ to get around the islands. Mlinda, a not–for– profit trust established in Paris, developed an India programme in 2010, with the aim of creating a hardy, battery-powered vehicle for local transport on the islands of the Sundarbans. This programme was established by Mlinda in partnership with the World Wide Fund. Apeejay Surrendra Group worked with both the organizations with one key objective in mind – to alleviate the pressures that human presence is creating on the area´s ecosystem.