SURAT: The union territory (UT) of Dadra and Nagar Haveli has opened up a new chapter on green learnings on Thursday by appointing its first-ever ‘bicycle mayor’ who will wheel in environment consciousness among youngsters and women in Silvassa city.
Certified yoga trainer from Silvassa, Swarupa Shah, has been appointed as the Bicycle Mayor who will pedal up to promote green leanings among DNH residents and encourage them to prevent environmental pollution through cycling.
Shah, a fellow at Bharat Scouts and Guides, started her cycling journey a decade ago and has not looked ever since. It’s her most preferred mode of transportation in Silvassa today. “Silvassa is a small city roughly about 4km radius. Yet, I see many people travelling on their personal vehicles even for short errands. As the bicycle mayor, my agenda will be to encourage people to take up cycling for commuting purposes. I want to imbibe cycling in our culture and lead my city as the bicycle-friendly city of India” Swarupa said.
Shah further said that the women especially can use cycles for commuting as well running their daily errands. “I have been commuting by bicycle for more than five years and want to represent the bicycle as visible mode of transport in Silvassa,” she added.
The Silvassa Smart City Limited (SSCL) and the BYCS, an NGO based out of the Netherlands had called for the honorary post of Bicycle Mayor in December-20. The appointment took place after a rigorous selection process, said sources.
Dr Apurva Sharma, CEO, SSCL said, “Swarupa Shah, ‘Bicycle Mayor’ of Silvassa, will work in close association with BYCS and BYCS India to devise and implement actionable plan for cycling, advice on global best practices to adopt sustainable mobility, conduct outreach programmes among others.”
According to Dr Sharma, a mobile application ‘Fit Silvassa’ has been launched under the guidance of the Silvassa Smart City Limited. The application is designed to nudge people to embrace cycling not only for fitness but also for commutes. The application entails reward points that can be claimed at local supermarkets, salons, restaurants, gyms etc. Dr Sharma further said that SSCL has donated two bicycles to the traffic police department to facilitate patrollingin Silvassa.