Sundarlal Bahuguna, Chipko Movement founder, was hospitalised with Covid on May 8.

Dehradun:

Environmental activist Sundarlal Bahuguna, the founder of the Chipko Movement, passed away today. He was 94 years old.

His death was declared by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rishikesh where he was admitted for Covid treatment, ANI reported.

Mr Bahuguna died at 12.05 pm AIIMS Rishikesh Director Ravikant said.

One of India’s best-known environmentalists, was admitted to the hospital on May 8 after testing positive for Covid. His condition had turned critical last night, with his oxygen level dropping drastically. He was on CPAP therapy in the hospital’s ICU.

Condoling the death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the late environmentalist manifested “our centuries old ethos of living in harmony with nature.”

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.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 21, 2021

Condoling the death, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat described it as a big loss not just for his state and India but for the entire world.

“It was he who made the Chipko movement a movement of the masses,” Rawat said.