The Chief Minister formally launched the smart cycles by peddling from block II to block I of the Secretariat. What’s most interesting about these cycles is their price.

Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday launched smart cycles in Secretariat in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh. The Chief Minister formally launched the smart cycles by peddling from block II to block I of the Secretariat. What’s most interesting about these cycles is their price.

These ultra modern 3 gear cycles are bought from Germany at a cost of Rs 1 lakh each and will be available for free in the secretariat area. A total of 30 smart cycles are put for use in the secretariat premises. In the secretariat area, as many as three pickup and drop stations are setup with 10 cycles each.

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Although these smart cycles are available for no cost, there registration is required to issue smart card. Smart cards are necessary for the cycle to function.

The Chief Minister suggested to equip the pickup stations with air conditioning, solar panels and seating arrangement. He further recommended to develop green and beautiful parks near these stations, asking the officials to see the possibility of setting up a smart cycle manufacturing unit in Andhra itself.

Construction of special cycling tracks in the capital region is also underway by Amaravati Capital Region Development Authority. The instroduction of such cycles are in a bid to reduce air pollution in the city.

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Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the Centre’s flagship Smart Cities Mission was progressing at a “brisk pace” and setting a “new benchmark” in term of project implementation. The housing and urban affairs ministry has so far announced 99 cities for Smart Cities Mission. In January 2016, 20 cities were announced, followed by 13 cities in May 2016, 27 cities in September 2016 and 30 cities in June 2017. On January 19, nine cities were chosen in the latest round of the Smart Cities Mission.

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At an event here, Puri said two years is a short duration in terms of urban development life-cycle where transitions take place over decades. “The Smart Cities Mission is progressing at a brisk pace,” the housing and urban affairs minister said, adding that 99 cities selected so far have identified projects worth Rs 2.02 lakh crore. #KhabarLive