• KSCDL launches Kohima Cycles4Change Campaign
• Seeks support for community engagement
Kohima, July 27 (MExN): Kohima, the capital city of Nagaland has registered for the India Cycles4Change Challenge, an initiative of Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India.
Kohima is one of the 95 cities to have registered for the mission, Kohima Smart City Development Ltd (KSCDL) stated today in a press release.
The India Programme of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) is the knowledge partner of the Smart Cities Mission in conducting this challenge and guiding cities through it.
Through this Challenge, the registered cities will implement quick interventions to create a safe and cycling-friendly city.
“To ensure this transformation, Kohima is committed to working with its citizens as it develops and implements the proposals. Community engagement is a key component of the initiative, and Kohima seeks your support in making this programme a success,” stated KSCDL.
Kohima will be participating in the challenge under the initiative of the KSCDL in partnership with various stakeholders, local champions, and citizens. “KSCDL is proud to launch the Kohima Cycles4Change Campaign to encourage more people into cycling and head towards the path of fitness, balanced growth, personal transport, and a cultural shift towards the sport of cycling for a better and greener future,” it stated.
Online portal for participation
To assist the city in this aspect, the Challenge has launched an online portal which features a page exclusively for this purpose titled ‘Support your city’.
By filling the form on this page, interested citizens, civil society organisations (CSOs), students, consultants, and corporates can express their interest in working with the city for the Challenge. Interested citizens can support through the following ways:
• Plan and design cycling initiatives
• Coordinate the roll-out of the programme
• Organise consultations with citizens
• Mobilize volunteers for the initiatives
• Be a volunteer for the initiatives
• Spread the word through social networks
• Document through photos, videos, and blogs
• Monitor or evaluate the impact of initiatives
• Sponsor or bring in sponsors
Using this portal, Kohima will review the entries and form a diverse team that will support in developing and implementing initiatives.
Embracing a cycling transformation
Kohima has already attended workshop 1 of the Challenge that focused on the technical, community engagement, and communications components of cycling initiatives.
Over the next few weeks, the city will roll out a survey to understand citizens' perception of cycling. The survey aims to identify barriers to cycling in Kohima and inform the design process.
“The city urges all CSOs, consultants, corporates or concerned citizens to support your city in the India Cycles4Change Challenge by registering using the link or QR code.”
The India Cycles4Change Challenge
The India Cycles4Change Challenge was announced on June 25, by Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (Independent Charge), MoHUA at the 5th Anniversary Celebrations of the Smart City Mission. It aims to inspire and support the cities to implement quick cycling-friendly initiatives in response to COVID-19.
The Challenge will run in two stages. Stage 1 will run until October, where cities will pilot initiatives such as pop-up cycle lanes, host public consultations, conduct surveys, and hold campaigns to promote cycling, which will help develop a scale-up strategy.
Based on the pilots and city-wide proposals submitted, 11 cities will be shortlisted in October for Stage 2. In this stage, they will be awarded Rs. 1 Crore and will be guided by national and international experts to scale-up the initiatives. This stage will extend till May 2021.
During the course of the Challenge, cities will be guided through online workshops, technical knowledge material, and peer-to-peer learning discussions with fellow cities. This will help cities to strategize and implement pilots, while also developing their scale-up proposal.
