Bhubaneswar: The ambitious ‘Mo Cycle’ programme of Bhubaneswar Smart City Ltd (BSCL) can be a best example of failure of a government project and can be utilized for study or referral documents for administrative officers.
The previous BJD government had launched the initiative in Bhubaneswar in the year 2018 with an aim to make the capital city a green city. Thanks to the vision of the concerned authorities, who made it possible that neither a single user is there nor a Mo cycle is now in a use like condition.
Hundreds of cycles bought by Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL) in 2018 for Rs 25,000 each, were seen in scrap like conditions lying abundant in road sides in Bhubaneswar.
From the very beginning the initiative has remained a failure one as very few takers were there for the project and it was also not financially feasible.
The ‘Mo Cycle’ service which was under the Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) since 2018, was handed over to BMC and BSCL in October 2020. The civic body and the Smart City limited, however, failed to ensure its regular up-keep through private firms.
Though steps have been mooted to distribute Mo Cycle to the women Self Help Groups (SHGs) and slum dwellers, but it was never realized.
The original intent was also to increase accessibility of Public Bicycle Sharing (PBS) by providing first and last-mile connectivity. Planners opted for a dense network of stations instead of keeping the bike stations only at major destinations or junctions.
Now, the bicycles procured under the scheme are left abondoned at various places in the capital city.