Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Aiming to reduce air pollution in the country's cleanest city Indore, 3,000 cycles will be added to the public transport system in phases.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan virtually inaugurated the first phase of this project costing Rs 10 crore on Monday.
Officials said that this project named "Indore Public Bicycle System" will be operated on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis and state-of-the-art bicycles will be provided to the common people on rent.
"With the addition of cycles to the public transport system of Indore, the environment will be protected, the consumption of petrol and diesel will be reduced and the people will also stay healthy," the chief minister said.
Officials said the local administration will provide 3,000 bicycles on rent to the general public at city transport bus stops and other major public places in a phased manner. He said that the lock of these cycles would open and close with the help of a mobile application and these cycles would be equipped with GPS so that the local administration would keep an eye on their movement.
Officials said that such a cycle will be available to the common people for 10 hours for just Rs 10. The monthly rent for these bicycles is Rs 349.
Chouhan also inaugurated via video link the newly-constructed building of the Sarvateb bus stand in the city.
Built at the cost of Rs 14.80 crore in an area of 7,878 square meters, the new terminal will operate 500 buses daily.
Chouhan also laid a foundation stone for two water-treatment plants, to be constructed with an estimated cost of Rs 79.33 crore. The facility will treat sewage water to make it reusable.
