Chandigarh registers for the India Cycles4Change Challenge
Chandigarh, July 30:- Chandigarh is one of the 95 cities to have registered for the India Cycles4Change Challenge, an initiative of Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. The India programme of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) is the knowledge partner of the Smart Cities Mission in conducting this challenge and guiding cities through it.
While sharing information regarding the challenge, Sh. K.K. Yadav, IAS, Commissioner Municipal Corporation Chandigarh-cum-CEO, Chandigarh Smart City Ltd. said here today that through this challenge, the registered cities will implement quick interventions to create a safe and cycling-friendly city. To ensure this transformation, Chandigarh is committed to working with its citizens as it develops and implements the proposals. Community engagement is a key component of the initiative, and with the support of citizens this programme will be a success. The City Beautiful, Chandigarh envision citizens to participate in its effort to achieve zero-carbon mobility.
The Commissioner said that the motto of the programme is ‘Pedal your Bicycles and ride towards your good health.’ He said that the India Cycles4Change Challenge was announced recently, by Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge), MoHUA at the 5th Anniversary Celebrations of the Smart Cities Mission.
He said that it aims to inspire and support the cities to implement quick cycling-friendly initiatives in response to COVID-19. The Challenge will run in two stages. Stage 1 will run until October, where cities will pilot initiatives such as pop-up cycle lanes, host public consultations, conduct surveys and hold campaigns to promote cycling, which will help develop a scale-up strategy. Based on the pilots and the city-wide proposals submitted, 11 cities will be shortlisted in October for stage 2. In this stage, they will be awarded Rs. 1 Crore and will be guided by national and international exports to scale-up the initiatives. This stage will extend till May 2021.
During the course of the Challenge, cities will be guided through online workshops, technical knowledge material and peer-to-peer learning discussions with fellow cities. This will help cities to strategize and implement pilots, while also developing their scale-up proposal.
He said that “The COVID-19 pandemic is an opportunity for cities to reinvent themselves. Cycling offers us a healthy, affordable and COVID-safe solution for a green recovery. Through this challenge, cities will have to create a shared vision with their citizens. Every citizen should come together to ignite a cycling transformation in Chandigarh.”
He said that interested citizens can volunteer/Mobilize volunteers for the initiatives, spread the word through social networks and may sponsor or bring in sponsors.
The Commissioner said thatChandigarh has already attended workshop 1 of the Challenge that focused on the technical, community engagement and communications components of cycling initiatives. Now the city has rolled out a survey to understand citizens’ perception of cycling. The survey aims to identify the barriers to cycling in Chandigarh and inform the design process. The city urges all the consultants, corporates or concerned citizens to support the city in Cycles4Change Challenge by filling in survey form using the link https://forms.gle/6L4hDySrzHEz7btH9.
