As cycling catches people’s fancy, is MC ready to develop tracks?

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

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Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 28

The Covid-19 pandemic has made people more health-conscious. So, one can see a large number of people cycling, especially in the morning and evening hours.

Not only professionals, but people from all walks of life can be seen pedalling on city roads in large numbers. With swimming pools and gyms still closed, cycling has become a hot favourite among most people these days. People are not hesitating to spend as much as Rs 10,000- Rs 25,000 for buying cycles. Even though lots of people have switched to cycling in the city, there is not even a single cycling track in the city. Most cyclists say that a track is the need of the hour.

As per information, a proposal to develop the cycle track under the Area Based Development (ABD) scheme of Smart City Project was also made around eight months ago, but nothing has been done to materialise this move so far.

Under the project, the tracks were proposed on 120 ft road from Kapurthala road intersection to Babu Jagjivan Ram Chowk and on Mahatma Hans Raj Marg from Workshop Chowk (HMV Chowk) to DAV Flyover, internal road around Burlton Park cricket ground and from railway line to Basti Danishmanda. The project was estimated to cost Rs 2,48,53,335.

The proposal is still lying pending with the Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Company (PMIDC) for approval and the MC officials don’t really know whether it would materialize or remain on paper. There is no information related to the development of the cycling track in the city.

Asked if there was any proposal to develop a cycle track, MC Commissioner Karnesh Sharma said he was already thinking on these lines. “We have to plan a proper route for the track which should be safe and connected with the city also. We will approach cycling associations so that we get to know about a secured route for public,” he said.

On the status report of the proposal, the commissioner said he would go through that proposal and check what proper routes could be planned.

Mayor Jagdish Raja said new feasible routes would be introduced in the proposal that was made earlier.

Member of Parliament Santokh Singh Chaudhary said he would raise the important issue of the development of the cycle track in a Smart City meeting. The city is witnessing a boom in the sale of bicycles. The owner of Avon Cycles, Kulpreet Singh, said there was around a twofold increase in demand for cycles.

He said it was taking 10-15 days to complete the orders. “Around 30,000 orders of cycles are already pending with us and they are still to be delivered. The orders are not only from the city but also from Amritsar and Patiala,” Kulpreet Singh informed.

“People of every age are willing to pedal nowadays amid the pandemic. All they want is maintain their fitness,” he said.