Bhubaneswar: The smart city implementing agency generated much hype when it announced plans for a public bicycle-sharing programme last November to encourage citizens to opt for non-motorised transport as it aimed to reduce pollution.
Nearly four months later, the plan is still languishing in the proposal stage with Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL) struggling to select an executor.
The city administration had initiated the tender process last November and was supposed to complete the formalities by December.
However, it is nowhere near completion with few takers. The slow response has forced the authorities to extend the tender deadline seven times in a row. The process, which was supposed to be completed December 7, 2017, now has a deadline of April 5.
BSCL officials had hoped to complete the project by April, but the delay in completing the tender process has set the project back by months. “We are not hurrying the tender process as we don’t want to get a random executor that might not have the expertise,” said a BSCL official.
The BSCL planned to introduce the programme to enable anyone to rent a bicycle to roam the city. A rider would have to visit a designated docking station and hire a bicycle for a fixed amount of time. There would also be parking yards, where only the bicycles — hired from the docking stations — can be parked, apart from parallel cycle tracks on roads.
The official said the proposal was ready along with the required modalities. “We floated a national level tender for the programme. The selected executor will only have to come up with the plan to roll it out in an error-free manner,” said the official, adding that he hoped it would become a reality this year.
The city administration had conducted a survey and prepared a report for the project last April where it had recommended introducing 1,200 cycles with 120 docking stations across the city for effective implementation of the project.
The project aims to promote non-motorised transport and save the environment. “It is a good scheme, but there is a need to introduce it on a priority,” said Damana resident Antaryami Mohapatra.
