225 bicycles launched as part of sharing system
Now, a bicycle sharing system has been started in the city so that one can rent bicycle to commute by paying Rs 10 for half an hour for non-members and Rs 5 for members.
The annual membership fee has been fixed at Rs 500. To begin with, 225 bicycles, including over 100 pedal-assisted e-bikes, will be there at 25 docking stations. One can pick and drop bicycles at these places. The users would be able to take the bicycles by downloading and registering through mobile app, `Smart Bike’.
New parking policy aims to decongest city
Drafted on the lines of the Chandigarh Master Plan 2031, the Chandigarh Administration has notified a new parking policy with the aim to decongest the city which has the highest density of privately owned vehicles in the country. It plans to impose congestion charges and also mulling to link availability of parking space with vehicle registration.
It allows for two main gates in the front boundary and also permits stilt parking on the ground floor of houses for more parking space. Besides, it is recommending community parking in each sector by using neighborhood commercial and institutional parking lots on rental basis and proposes to use the parking of educational institutions after once operational hours are over.
Outdoor air purifiers to come up at 10 places
The Chandigarh Administration will be installing around ten outdoor air purifier towers in different locations in the city with very poor air quality. These ten-foot purifiers will have gas neutralisation systems besides filters for different categories of pollutants and an ultraviolet cleaning system to destroy the micro-organisms, pathogens and viruses present in the air. The air purifiers will reduce pollutants at specific spots.
The Central Pollution Control Committee has floated tenders to install the purifiers. As per the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) norms, Chandigarh is one of the non-attainment cities in the country.
Centre urged to take up eco-sensitive zone issue
The Chandigarh Administration has requested the Union government to take up with both Punjab and Haryana to set up an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary in their respective jurisdictions as the administration has already notified the same in their area.
The administration has been asking both the states to follow in it’s footsteps as it has declared the area in it’s jurisdiction ranging between 2 Km to 2.75 km from the boundary of the sanctuary as ESZ.
Harpreet Bajwa
Our correspondent in Chandigarh hsbajwa73@gmail.com