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Our Correspondent
Kohima, Aug. 15 (EMN): As part of the ‘Kohima Cycles4change campaign,’ a bicycle rally was flagged off by advisor of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Neikiesalie Kire at Classic Island, Kohima, on August 15.
The bicycle rally route was from Classic Island to Civil Secretariat.
The rally was organised in continuation of the India Cycles4Change challenge, initiated by the Smart Cities Missions and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India.
Speaking on the occasion, Kire thanked the participants as well as the organisers, whom he referred to as “trend setters”. He also appreciated support from many cyclists.
“This is one way where there should not be any age bar but it is how one wants to stay physically fit and I hope this will be start for many others,” he said.
With the spike in number of Covid-19 case, he reminded that all individuals need to follow the necessary guidelines directed by the authority.
“We are too scared of the pandemic but being scared is not the issue, it is how we also see that it is not spread,” he said. He also requested all the people present to be agents and ensure that safety protocols are strictly maintained in order to bring down positive cases in the town.
“Keep the distance so that the virus is not passed on to others or passed on to you,” he said.
He also announced that the authority has decided to demarcate a lane for cyclists around Raj Bhavan in Kohima, with certain rules and regulations.
He stated that one should not ride more than 15 km per hour and also not overtake the others as it is not a competition.
Administrator of Kohima Municipal Council (KMC) Kovi Meyase, who also spoke at the programme, expressed hope that the campaign would inspire to cultivate a lifestyle for ‘a healthier city, a healthier youth, and not forgetting the children and senior citizens’.
“I hope we can build a culture where cyclying becomes a habit and our lives become healthier,” he said.
He further appealed to everyone to continue taking the journey together without giving up by knowing that “we can achieve”.
Nodal officer of Kohima Cycles4Change Atoba Longkumer informed that Kohima is participating in the challenge along with 95 other cities. He stated that with the officials launching of the bicycle rally campaign, they are also taking up various initiatives and pilot intervention for the challenge.
He updated that the campaign would continue till the month of September and culminate in October this year. It was informed that the Top 11 cities would be selected from among the 95 cities, depending on the initiatives in promoting cycling in the cities.
Longkumer informed that Kohima has more than 60 volunteer cyclists registered and more than 1600 citizens responded on the online survey. He added that Kohima is receiving a lot of support from the citizens and fellow cyclists at the initiative. He further expressed confidence that Kohima would make it to the top 11 Cycle4Change campaign.