Hyderabad: In a rare honour for Telangana, two cities, Hyderabad and Warangal, have been selected as Stage-1 Finalists in the ‘India Cycles4Change Challenge’.
A total of 95 cities from across the country had registered as cycling-friendly cities for the challenge, which is an initiative of the Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, to inspire and support Indian cities to quickly implement cycling-friendly initiatives in response to Covid-19.
Amid the stiff competition, the list of 25 cities shortlisted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs as Stage-1 Finalists included Hyderabad and Warangal.
The Telangana government has taken India Cycles4Change as a prestigious challenge as it lay more stress on citizens adopting cycling towards checking pollution and conserving environment. As per the instructions of MA&UD Minister KT Rama Rao on making effective use of the challenge under Union Government’s Smart Cities Mission, MA&UD Principal Secretary Arvind Kumar has guided the municipal corporations.
In the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) jurisdiction, implementation of ‘India Cycles4Change Challenge’ programme is being provided technical advise and guidance by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) and Hyderabad Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA). With the support provided by the police department, cycling tracks have already been provided at KBR Park and Necklace Road in the city.
