Kohima has also been lauded for making cycling in the hills ‘fun’ (Photo: KSCDL/s://smartnet.niua.org/)
• Awarded Rs 1 crore to scale up cycling initiatives
• First bicycle pump track in North East India
Morung Express News
Dimapur | July 28
In a boost to its smart city initiatives, Nagaland capital Kohima has been selected as one of the 11 cities in India with the title of being India’s Top 11 Cycling Pioneers.’
The top 11 cities will receive an award of Rs 1 crore each to scale up their cycling initiatives, according to the Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA), which announced the India Cycles4change stage-1 list of awardees on July 28.
The 11 awardees were Bengaluru, Karnataka; Bhubaneswar, Odisha; Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana; Kohima, Nagaland; Nagpur, Maharashtra; New Town Kolkata, West Bengal; Pimpri Chinchwad, Maharashtra; Rajkot, Gujarat; Surat, Gujarat; Vadodara, Gujarat and Warangal, Telangana
As per the Ministry, the award marks the start of the next stage of the first season the Challenge where 107 cities across the country come together to “test, learn, and scale up different cycling-friendly initiatives, kickstarting India’s cycling revolution.”
The top 11 were selected from top 25 cities shortlisted earlier this year, by a jury of renowned national and international transport experts, the Ministry informed in an official statement.
MoHUA Secretary Shanker Mishra announced the winning cities via an online event on Wednesday, where four cities also received a special mention for “their efforts in testing the pilot initiatives as part of the challenge.”
They were Aurangabad, Maharashtra; Gurugram, Haryana; Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh; and Silvassa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
The event was attended by officials from Central and State Governments, and other stakeholders from all cities participating in India Cycles4Change Challenge, MoHUA’s statement informed.
Kohima: Making cycling fun in the hills
Among other initiatives, Kohima was lauded for breaking the stereotype and making ‘cycling in the hills fun.’
According to the MoHUA, the Kohima city officials initially faced “an uphill battle—to convince citizens that cycling in the hills could be safe and fun.”
The officials responded with a new bicycle training arena and workshops, and training people to cycle on the slopes, it said. Regular events and cycle rallies also got more people cycling.
“Today, there are more cyclists on the streets of Kohima than ever before, many even cycling to work,” the Ministry said, adding that, “Some have also stepped up to champion cycling in their own communities, and make cycling in the hills the new normal.”
In the process, they also built the first bicycle pump track in North East India.
“Thanks to the Challenge, our city broke the myth that it is impossible to cycle in mountainous terrain like Kohima. We are racing ahead to make Kohima the cycling capital of the North East!” Kovi Meyase, former CEO, Kohima Smart City, was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Joint CEO, Kohima Smart City Avelu Ruho, in a press release, expressed gratitude to all stakeholders and all citizens for their support.
Ruho particularly lauded the Cycling community for their zeal and passion for cycling and the tireless efforts put into making the intervention possible in Kohima City.
“This achievement goes to prove that cycling is not only possible in a hilly city but a small city in North East India can also make it to the Top 11 cities among 107 cities who participated in the challenge,” the Joint CEO added.
The Ministry, meanwhile, has also announced the second season of the Challenge beginning in August, 2021, wherein fresh applications will be invited from all Smart Cities, capital cities of States/UTs and cities with a population of over 5 lakh, it added.
In addition, the India Cycles4Change Challenge has launched its first report to the public—'The Dawn of India’s Cycling Revolution’.
The cohort of the top 25 cities will advance to the next stage where they will embed the vision of a cycling-friendly city by adopting policies, setting up dedicated departments and creating city-wide plans.
