Patna, Sept. 28: The environment and forest department has come up with an innovative idea to promote the use of environment-friendly bicycles among people who visit parks for morning exercises.

The department has decided to reward those who cycle their way to eco parks for their morning walks. A beginning would be made on October 8, the last day of the wildlife week. According to estimates, around 3,000-5,000 people visit eco parks in the heart of Patna for their morning walks and jogging sessions. Several of them also go for regular yoga sessions in the parks that have come up near the secretariat. These parks even have special facilities for children.

These open around 5am and entry is free till 8am. This is one of the best maintained parks in the city, boasting of dedicated tracks for joggers and walkers. Most visitors, however, come in their vehicles - two-wheelers or four-wheelers. Hardly anybody walks down.

According to the environment and forest department plan, visitors would be given the chance to win a prize should they pedal down to the park from October 8.

'Those willing to take part in the competition, which could continue till February 28, would have to come to the park on a bicycle and the same would have to be parked at a fixed place,' D.K. Shukla, principal chief conservator of forests, said. 'Also, they would have to register themselves with their identity details; fingerprints would be collected. After registration, our personnel at the park would maintain a record on those coming on bicycles and the participants would have to mark their biometric attendance to rule out impersonation.'

The top 100 registered participants would win rewards to be decided on the basis of their biometric attendance and use of cycles from October 8 to February 28.

Winners stand a chance to win bicycles, track suits and T-shirts among other things.

Shukla said people getting rewards would help spread the word about the need to promote environment-friendly means of transport like bicycles.

S.N. Mishra, a Raja Bazaar resident who rides to the park every day in his motorbike, said: 'My son's bicycle has not been used for quite some time. I am going to get it repaired and start cycling down to the park in preparation for this competition.'

Prakash Sharma, a Boring Road resident, said: 'Once a large number of people start cycling down many more would follow. There are many things people want to do but are inhibited fearing what remark their friends would pass.'