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Chandigarh wins top awards at Smart Cities Mission’s Freedom 2 walk & Cycle challenge
Chandigarh was among the top 5 cities felicitated, at an online awards event hosted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, in various categories of the Smart Cities Mission’s Freedom 2 walk & cycle challenge.
Chandigarh was among the top 5 cities felicitated in various categories of the Freedom 2 walk & cycle challenge for city leaders and inter-city Freedom 2 walk & cycle challenge for citizens.
An online awards event was hosted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) on Thursday to recognise the top performing cities and city leaders in both the challenges.
Smart Cities Mission, MoHUA, as part of the activities being undertaken under Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav (AKAM), hosted the two aforementioned national-level challenges for the first time between 1st to 26th January 2022.
Chandigarh had earlier set up registration camps at high footfall areas such as Sukhna lake, rose garden.
“Strava app was used to let citizens track their activities. To increase participation, bicycling groups were approached and further prize money was announced for top performers. Active social media promotions were carried out informing citizens of the process and prizes as well,” a Municipal Corporation official said.
Chandigarh was awarded first positions in city leaders with maximum number of activities and city leaders with maximum number of activities in walking categories, while being placed fourth position in the city leaders with maximum time spent in walking and fifth in city with maximum kilometres in walking and city leaders with maximum kilometres in walking categories.
The awards for the citizen’s category, which were given in the categories for performance between January 1 to 26 2022, included 3rd positions in cities with maximum kilometres in walking and the city with maximum kilometres in running and special mention in the city with maximum kilometres in cycling category.
Chandigarh additional commissioner Rupesh Aggarwal was also honoured in the Super Hero Award category for serving as an inspiration to the citizens to take up cycling and promoting the initiative to ride to work.
The city leaders challenge saw registration from nearly 130 city leaders from across the country.
