Ranchi: Ranchi, capital of Jharkhand state in eastern India, is gearing up to host a no-car day on its busiest road on March 20.
They will follow the example of Jamshedpur. More than 10,000 residents of that industrial town celebrated February 21 with cycles, yoga and zumba, an aerobic fitness program featuring movements inspired by various styles of Latin American dance. However, there were no honking and fumes on Jam@Street of February 21.
On March 20, a 2km-stretch of the state capital’s main thoroughfare, from Kutchery to Mission Chowk through Albert Ekka Chowk, will be cleared of all traffic to set the stage for a host of fun-filled activities for residents.
“The message is simple: we want to tell people that they can spend a few hours without vehicles by engaging in some healthy activity to contribute toward the environment and help make Ranchi congestion free,” Manoj Ratan Chothe, Superintendent of Police told The Telegraph on March 12.
“We are starting it on an experimental basis to gauge people’s mood. Depending on the response, we will continue with it – at least on one road which would be cleared of vehicles for either a few hours or the entire day,” Chothe said, adding that alternative car routes had been worked out for those who needed to commute next Sunday.
As per the plan, a joint initiative of Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) and traffic police, no vehicles would be allowed on the stretch between 6 am to 10 am.
Depending on people’s response, the timing could be extended in following editions of the campaign envisaged on the lines of the green, car-free Raahgiri festival in Gurgaon and couple of other cities.
Statistically, on any given day, Ranchi’s streets turn nightmarish for commuters because of the heavy traffic. According to a transport feasibility study jointly conducted by Institute of Transportation and Development Policy and RMC in 2012, the capital has 57,000 cars and 376,000 two wheelers.
These numbers have no doubt gone up. Main Road, it is estimated, sees 1,000 vehicles in an hour these days.
“Almost on all roads, vehicle load is heavy. Roadside encroachments and commercial establishments further choke roads. Therefore, a no-vehicle day for a few hours can be a good beginning to reverse the trend,” said an RMC official, who promised to provide a few cycles for residents on that day.
“Through our private partners and from our own resources, we are trying to source out cycles on rent to give to people who want to use them on that day,” he added.
Chothe said they had plans to set up an open gymnasium on that day. “We are in talks with a few private firms so that people can also choose to workout during the event. This apart, we welcome live bands, yoga practitioners and artists,” he added.