Public bicycles gather dust at docking stations in Panchkula

Sachin Singh

Panchkula, June 19

Launched with much fanfare by the ex-Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar, during his first tenure as CM in 2019, Panchkula’s public bike sharing project is now a mere reminder of the state government’s initiative. The ignored and broken public bicycles have been rusting and gathering dust at numerous docking stations across the city.

The Panchkula Municipal Corporation was the first to launch such a project in the Tricity, which then inspired the Chandigarh Administration to launch a cycle-sharing initiative too. The MC spent Rs 2 crore on the project, which included the purchase of over 200 public bicycles equipped with GPS tracking systems and smart locks. These were made available from about 20 locations in the city and could be used for commutes by registered users. The fare was charged through a mobile phone application.

Given the rising air pollution and vehicular traffic on city roads, the MC was lauded for the initiative. It registered 2.34 lakh rides in the initial 14 months after the launch. However, at present, the project stands lost and forgotten. MC officials said they struggled to run the project during the pandemic, adding that the company’s tender with the MC expired in 2022.

A visit to a docking station near the Western Command Hospital at Chandimandir showed that all the bicycles were parked in their spots. The seats, handles, and pedals of the bicycles outside the Sector 14 MC office have collected dust, showing a lack of use. The majority of the cycles placed at the bus stands were also broken and defunct.

A resident of the city pointed out that the vehicles do not unlock despite payment of ride charges through the QR code. “There is no response from the customer service number either.”

An official of the MC said, “Right now, the cycles are merely parked at different docking stations. They are now a mere reminder of the ‘project that was launched’.”

Municipal officials who were then in charge of the project have also been shifted. None of the new officials have handed over their charges.

Commissioner Sachin Gupta and Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal said they would inquire about the status of the project.