Kavaratti gears up for a cycle-friendly ride

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kavaratti, the capital of Lakshadweep, is geared up to imbibe the habit of cycling into its routine. Cyclefriendly initiatives have been planned for the island after the Kavaratti Smart City Ltd (KSCL) undertook the 'India Cycles 4 Change' challenge. It was introduced by the Smart Cities Mission of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
As part of the challenge, areas have already been identified in Kavaratti which would be converted into designated cycling zones. Possibilities to restrict the movement of four-wheelers in these designated areas are also being explored to make cycling safe. “Proposals are being evaluated. We have plans to keep aside around three kilometres out of the eightkilometre long island to promote cycling activities. The stretch between the secretariat to the children’s park and the beachfront are the two areas we plan to develop under the challenge,” said Atul Pandey, CEO KSCL.
Amongst other ways to propagate the cycle project, the authorities plan to keep aside a day of the week dedicated to cycling. A social media group has already been formed to connect cycling enthusiasts on the island. “We aim to promote cycling not only as a fitness exercise but also as a preferred mode of transport. Another aspect of promoting cycling in the islands is to make people aware of the ill effects of excessive use of fossil fuels on the delicate ecosystem of the island," said Pandey.
KSCL is at an advanced stage of implementing the public bicycle sharing scheme for the locals, tourists, and people on official visits from other islands arriving for a brief stay at Kavaratti. One of the constraints that the island faces, unlike other cities that have app-based bicycle sharing schemes, is that of the limited bandwidth connectivity. To overcome this the authorities have planned to introduce an offline system of bicycle sharing by maintaining an offline register.
KSCL plans to make the bicycles available at a nominal charge of ?10 an hour and 100 cycles would be procured to be rented out under the bicycle-sharing scheme.
Popularising cycling is amongst the 27 other projects undertaken by the KSCL. A cycle rally to promote cycling has also been planned at Kavaratti that would see participation from locals, school students, women groups, and government officials.