How Cycling could be an essential part of Smart City

Respected Prime Minister, 

Republic of India

As you have given a new life to Radio by starting Man Ki Baat, like this you should also give a new life to Cycle. Cycle is not only the cheapest but a symbolic of sustainable development. 

Almost in all the developed countries cycling has emerged as important mode of transport. I am living in Tel Aviv city Israel. It is one of the smartest Cities in World.  Here children, students, professors, girls, women, adult and even elders use cycling on daily basis for going outside. In Israel cycling has been introduced emerged as a modern mode of transport with hi-tech technology.

Cycling will provide a cheapest transport or vast middle class population of India, but it will also reduce traffic from road and reduce pollution drastically.

In Tel Aiviv, the cycling Stands have been installed in all parts of city, where one can get cycle for rent on hourly or daily charges and can return at any other cycle stand near his/her destination. This is very convenient way as one remains relived from carrying cycle all the way.  This project (Project Name- ‘Tel-O-Fun’) is run by a private company.

This is a fantastic method of transportation. Here cycles are modernised equipped with gears and lights. Here even those who did not like to use cycle in India, are using cycles on daily basis.

We can adopt this project from Israel for sustainable growth of India. It will not only save money, fuel and reduce pollution, but also be beneficial for people’s health.

In the last few years, cycling has become increasingly popular not only as a form of transport in the city,  but for sports and leisure. There is even a remarkable rental system for bicycles, Tel-o-Fun, which enables people to rent bicycles at any time at hundreds of rental stations around city.

Here I have mentioned a link to the website of the cycling project (Tel-0-Fun) running in Tel Aviv City, Israel along with a video showing how cycling works here.

Link-

https://www.tel-o-fun.co.il/en/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxKxSolDVFg&feature=youtu.be

Sanjay Shukla

Tel Aviv, Israel

Email: Sanjay.acdc268@gmail.com

Paradigm Shift in Indian Polity

 
Anna, AAP and 2014 elections have transformed the Indian polity forever. 2011 Anna Anti-Corruption Movement, 2012's overnight rise of Aam Admi party (Common Man's Party) led by Arvind Kejriwal and Modi's solo elections 2014  have triggered a paradigm shift in the Indian politics as never before.

Well-coupled with social media, the rise of Anna Hazare, Aam Admi Party and Modi led Bharatiya Janata Party in past 4 years have threaten deeply all the erstwhile oligarchs of Indian politics.  Specifically, revolutionary rise of these two parties in 2013 and 2014 polarized the Indian politics drastically.

                                                           © elections.in

Such was the effect that some the political dynasties like Congress, SP, BSP, JDU, LJP were shaken out completely from waves of these parties, while CPI, CPM, were rooted out from their very roots in 2014 elections. Other regional parties also faced set back in different regional.

Amalgam of all these factors aired a new kind of political environment in India as never before. Almost all the political parties have appeared directly or indirectly as opposition to ruling party, in the vengeance of defeat.

Anyhow, this has given rise to profoundly strong but fragmented opposition against on party.

However, it cannot be ruled out that each and every political party have had their vote banks whether it is on sectarian or caste based. And almost all the political parties no matter national or regional Sectarianism and Casteism as their trump card for election. If Congress, CPI, CPM lured Muslim voted then, SP, BSP, JDU and LJP had casteism bank policy. But collectively all these parties have been pro-Muslim voters since their inception. 

On the other hand, BJP which has an image of Hindu nationalist cannot even won support of Hindu voters in India, due to its radical approach in previous elections.

However, a lot of research and wiring have been done on what I mentioned above. What naïve that I noticed in recent years is that, after being feared to protect their existence, all of these parties discovered another new and trivial kind of politics.

Political debates are necessary for sustaining the democratic values, but in such a trivial way was never a feature of Indian polity. 

The situation have become so worse, that even a single move of ruling party (BJP) or PM make their ears erect to exploit  it for political gains.

And amidst the war of rat and cats media plays a role of broker grabbing whatever both sides thrown on their mouth.  Moreover, advent of social media has given another tool for such political blame game.

As a common man, I am not taking side of any political party, but it is extensively true that such cheap political have never been part of India.

Common man is somewhat getting frustrated from such cheap polity of such intellectuals who are elected to shape their fate. These parties are creating communal hatred among people, which lives happily with each other.

These politicians must first consider themselves as Indian no matter what religion and beliefs they share, and stop dividing the people of India.  First British divided us on the basis on religion, cast and north and south and ruled and now these politicians have inherited those traits.

No country has copyright of any religion and their followers.  Not Saudi Arabia has copyright of Islam, India have Hinduism and Israel has Jews. All is first – 'Humanity'.