KOCHI: The otherwise busy Panampilly Nagar Road became a festival zone on Sunday, which was observed as car-free day on the street. People thronged crossroads 9 to 13 at Panampilly Nagar and took part in the various cultural and sports activities arranged by the organisers - the Kochi Corporation, Kochi Metro Rail Limited, ESAF, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, Panampilly Nagar Welfare Association, City Police and Cochin Shipyard.
It was to declare that the streets belonged to pedestrians, cyclists, children, the aged and the physically challenged.
Residents of Panampilly Nagar and the nearby areas turned up and participated in activities such as flash mob, street play, kite flying, caroms, shuttle badminton, awareness programmes, cycle rally, folk arts performances and aerobics from 2 pm to 6 pm, turning the crossroads into a temporary ‘stage.’ Rajagiri Hospital conducted a free medical camp as part of the programme.
Kochi Mayor Soumini Jain inaugurated the Car-free Day. It is the first time car-free day is observed in Kochi. The primary objective of the programme was to discourage use of private vehicles and promote public transport, thereby making the roads pedestrian/cycle friendly.