Rs 1.93 crore spent, 2.5 km Amritsar cycle track lies unused

Despite spending nearly Rs 1.93 crore, the 2.5-km cycle track constructed in Ranjit Avenue, Amritsar, has never been put to use and has turned into a dumping space.

Built from the MK Hotel T-point to the Ranjit Avenue police station chowk, the track was completed in September 2023. It covers Defence Colony Road, Beant Park and Old Jail Road.

The project was conceived at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic had heightened public awareness about health and fitness. In 2020, health experts began advocating cycling as a safe and effective form of exercise in Covid-19. In line with this, the state government and the city administration had drawn up two separate proposals to promote cycling infrastructure in Amritsar. However, both initiatives failed to deliver meaningful results. Former Minister for Local Bodies Navjot Singh Sidhu had announced a track alongside the UBDC Canal. Under the Smart City project, the authorities had proposed a 23.2-km-long cycle track network across the city. As a pilot project, a 2.5-km stretch was taken up in Ranjit Avenue.

Local residents allege that the track suffers from poor design. Cyclists claim that the track is too narrow and there are chances of accidents. It is even incomplete as the surface of the track is constructed with concrete instead of acrylic, which provides shock absorption, weather resistance and slip resistance.

Pawan Sharma, a local social activist, said it was shocking to see garbage piled up on a track built at a cost of nearly Rs 2 crore. He said not only cyclists, even elderly residents could not walk on it due to its poor condition. Local residents, who earlier used the track for morning and evening walks, say that overgrown weeds and heaps of garbage have discouraged people from using it. The track is being used as parking space at some locations.

The construction of the cycling track had started in June 2020. The project was inaugurated on June 7, 2020, by then Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu and MP Gurjit Singh Aujla.

Karamjit Singh Rintu, chairman of the Amritsar Improvement Trust, said while he had inaugurated the project, it later became evident that the track was ill-conceived. “A tender had been floated to revamp the track, but it was cancelled after controversy. A fresh plan would now be prepared,” said Rintu.

Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, MLA, Amritsar (North), said, “There has been a major scam in the Smart City funds. I have submitted a question regarding this matter in the Punjab Assembly and once any information is received from there, I will provide details on the issue.”