Rent a cycle scheme
Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) kick started the Public Bicycle Sharing system in the hope of encouraging intra-city travel and at the same time the initiative is aimed at reducing city’s carbon footprint. The cycling project at Nerul’s Jewel of Navi Mumbai in sector 26, Mini seashore, opposite to Fortis Hospital and now introduced in sector 9 in Sanpada just in front of Lad Master Sitaram Udya and it is a success. The number of cycles available for hire has increased in the last couple of days, and it reveals its significant success in this corridor. In order to further reduce our city’s carbon footprints, cycling is the best option available and NMMC has taken the initiative rather seriously to provide the facility to more centres in the satellite city.
Rent a cycle scheme is becoming highly popular and the same was introduced during school vacation to bring it to the fore. Both the young and the old avail of the facility. Again, both men and women opt for rent a cycle scheme with great pleasure. The roads in Navi Mumbai are wide enough and a cycle track can be provided to make the scheme a meaningful one. Besides Yulu Bikes, another private company has also shown interest in starting the rent-a-cycle scheme in other parts of the city. To use this facility, citizens will have to download a mobile app to rent the cycles. The payment will be made through mobile wallets like paytm and PayPal. The Yulu Bikes are charging a nominal rent of Rs.10 for half an hour of cycling. This is good initiative by NMMC, but dedicated cycle lanes are a must for this cycle plan to succeed in the city.
C.K. Subramaniam
Significance of Eid-ul-Fitr
Eid or Eid-ul-Fitr is a very important festival for the Muslim community all over the world as this day marks the end of the holy month of Ramzan. During Ramzan, Muslims all over the world keep fasting from dawn till dusk, as a mark of piety to God and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad. Not even a glass of water is drunk during this holy month of fasting, however hot the climate may be or however thirsty one may feel.
The month of Ramzan is very auspicious to people belonging to the Islamic community all over the world. It is celebrated on the day after the crescent moon is sighted. Muslims observe a fast for a full month, starting with the sighting of the new moon and ending it after seeing the new moon, the next month. Muslims give alms and recite the Holy Quran during this holy month of Ramadan (or Ramzan, as it is called). Eid is celebrated all over the world with much enthusiasm and fervour.
Jubel D’Cruz
Take steps to curb pollution by cars also
It refers to welcome news that only e-scooters (two-wheelers) will be sold in the country after 2025 while in respect of three wheelers, the deadline is even earlier of 2020. Since two-wheelers constitute major portion of total vehicle-sale in the country, ban on two-wheelers and three-wheelers other than driven by pre-charged electric-engines will effectively check pollution.
However till phenomenon of exclusively sold e-cars becomes a dream come true, cars should be allowed to be sold only with petrol-engines fitted with CNG-kit. Production and sale of cars driven by diesel-engines should be altogether banned with immediate effect. Production of diesel-driven cars is gross misuse of having price of diesel less than that of petrol only for keeping cost of public-transportation less.
Also since big cars occupy more space in road and parking, their production should be discouraged because these cars are purchased and used by affording rich. GST, road-tax, insurance and other levies on cars with ex-showroom price say above rupees ten lakhs should be doubled. There should be a complete ban on loans on costlier cars. Only economical cars should be purchased by central and state governments and their public-sector-undertakings including even for judges of higher courts, ministers and top bureaucrats except required for use by foreign dignitaries visiting India that too on permission from Union Ministry of External Affairs.
Madhu Agrawal
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
