Bhubaneswar: Ahead of Durga Puja festival, Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL) seems to be getting ready to again put to use the ‘Mo Cycles’, which have been rotting along the streets of the state capital for years.
As per sources, steps have been initiated by the BSCL to refurbish the cycles and make them usable. The agency has started lifting the cycles lying in shabby conditions at the docking stations to prepare them for use during the festive season.
The cycles are being taken to the maintenance site for repair and will be brought back to the docking stations before Durga Puja. The plan is to allow people to use these cycles instead of cars or other vehicles during the festival to reduce traffic congestion, a BSCL official was quoted by TNIE as saying.
Launched in the capital city under the much-hyped ‘Mo Cycle’ initiative during the Hockey World Cup in 2018, these cycles continued to rot in the open at the docking stations due to lack of interest among public for the service as well as poor maintenance of them. The cycles were often found covered in thick layer of dust at docking stations. A large number of cycles have also reportedly disappeared from many docking stations.
Of the 2,000 cycles, procured at a cost of Rs 25,000 each, only around 1,500 were in usable condition till January 2023. Efforts are on to salvage most of the remaining cycles and bring them to rideable condition. The cycles will be put back at the docking stations for public use. People are expected use the cycles during Puja as it would make pandal hopping easier, the officer added.
