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Our Correspondent
Kohima, Sep. 25 (EMN): Advisor to Chief Minister Abu Metha on Friday launched the Kohima Smart City Cycles4Change app at the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) Kohima Smart City, New Supermarket complex in Kohima.
Speaking at the launch programme, Metha said that apart from obvious advantages of being healthy and environmental-friendly, cycling has also other advantages. Therefore, “we need to push our policy makers and implementers to ensure that cycle lanes come up”.
He expressed hope that Kohima will become a hub for cycling and cyclists in the coming days, while assuring that the state government will diligently support the ventures and promote cycling as a lifestyle.
Elaborating how a smart city needs smart citizens, he stated that to build a smart city is not just about physical infrastructure but also about having equal responsibility, hospitability and accommodative citizens where each citizen has a role to play in the rise the city.
Smart citizens are responsible and contributing members who make individual efforts to improve the liveability of the city and contribute more than they expect, he maintained.
In this competitive world, he said every activity and sector is about competing to be better and trying to outdo others, and it is no different for Nagaland’s capital city.
“Even as we carry our lives here, our city is competing with others on all fronts, especially on the economy,” he added.
Stating that a booming economy ensures generation of more employment, higher income for its citizens, better standards of living and ultimately a better quality of life, he said these aspirations are determined by multiple parameters whose dynamics are ever-changing.
“If we are to envision a stable and future-ready socio-economic scenario for Nagaland in the near and distant future, the ball must start rolling from the state capital; therefore, we must make constant efforts to make Kohima more attractive, economically stronger, socially secure, and ultimately more liveable,” he opined.
According to Metha, some of the basic and simple parameters of liveability are robust and complete neighbourhoods, accessible, reliable and sustainable mobility, a diverse and resilient economy, vibrant public spaces, overall affordability, access to clean fresh water, good housing and food, quality health care, high standards of education, a safe and stable environment and diverse entertainment avenues.
In this changing global dynamics, he said air quality, waste management, energy efficiency, digital connectivity, open spaces, thriving environment of creativity and arts, ease of mobility, and inclusiveness are aspects that reflect the image and reputation of a city. Hence, he asserted that one needs to take a relook at the capital city and lay policy foundations with strategic policy interventions to ensure towards achieving these aspirations in a collective and responsible manner.
Metha was optimistic that Kohima can become a world city as Nagaland has enormous potentials and scopes with realistic opportunity where it can become a crucial corridor and connection in the dynamics of the global economy. However, he said that to transform these potential into reality, ‘we need to move into a new era that is built on the foundations of transparency and meritocracy.’
“Naga youth must have big dreams and we must have the courage and ambition to strive towards those dreams,” he added.
CEO of Kohima Smart City Development Limited Kovi Meyase said that with an aim to gain visibility and outreach, the Cycles4Change mobile app has been designed and developed in house by the IT team of Kohima Smart City.
The app is user-friendly where citizens and tourists alike will be able to access useful information about cycling routes, mountain bike trail networks, cycling clubs and shops in Kohima and also rent cycles directly through the app, he informed.
Users can also get notifications on cycling events, group rides through cloud messaging and app messaging platform. Information on Kohima Cycles4change campaign and other initiatives being undertaken by the Kohima Smart City team can be accessed, he updated.
Meyase also informed that out of 100 smart cities, 95 are taking part in the challenge, and out of which 11 cities would be shortlisted in stage 1 which is eligible for a cash award of INR 1 crore to further promote cycling in the city with the help of international experts.
Cities have been mandated to create cycling networks using low cost methods like pop-up cycle lanes, non-motorised zones and set up community led cycle rental schemes, besides any other pilot interventions, he added.
Kohima Smart City team registered for the challenge on July 27 and formed strategic action plan based on three broad principles -- aggressive social media campaign, community engagement and implementation of pilot intervention -- to promote cycling in the city, he informed.