Public cycle plan in Pune: Award-winning project now a smart-ing failure
Bicycle sharing in the city suffered multiple blows with vandalism a major issue
Pune’s smart city public bicycle sharing scheme received the national Smart City Award from the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in 2018.
Today, the scheme is in a shambles, so much so, Pune Smart City Development Corporation Limited (PSCDCL) has left the project out of its submissions for the 2019 national awards.
At inception, four companies had invested in the city. As of August 2019 one private company, Yulu, is operating in the Aundh-Baner-Balewadi area.
Rajendra Jagtap, CEO of PSCDCL, said, “As far as the condition of the infrastructure of the scheme is concerned, inevitable vandalism in the city had the worst impact on the scheme. The behavioral change that was needed for such schemes to be a success has not been evident.”
On nominations for this year’s national smart city awards, Jagtap said, “This year, we only had one entry under the mobility sector.
“Hence, instead of nominating the same scheme again, we chose to nominate the Smart electric buses project which has more potential of winning an award.”
A senior official of he PSCDCL requesting anonymity said, “While it is true that smart e-buses have a better chance of winning, it is equally true that no improvisation has been done in the bicycle scheme this year. In fact, the state it is in, is something hat we are struggling to improve.”
Ranjit Gadgil, programme director of city-based NGO Parisar, said, “There is nothing that stops the PSCDCL from developing the bicycle scheme in their (Aundh-Baner-Balewadi) area. Both, the governing agencies and the civic body, should give special emphasis to this projectas it was one of their key commitments.”
Priti Kale a resident of Aundh said, “Lack of PMC ‘s vigilance towards maintenance and conditions of cycles is very sad. Mishandling and just throwing the cycles in an indisciplined manner after their use. I think this is the worst part of the scenario -citizens not cooperating.”