Pimpri: The Municipal Corporation's "Harit Setu" (Green Bridge) project has successfully motivated residents of the Nigdi Pradhikaran area to prioritize cycling.

The initiative aims to raise awareness and encourage both students and citizens to adopt cycling as a preferred mode of transport.

In a bid to promote walking and cycling, the Municipal Corporation selected citizens through a lottery system for participation in the project. A meeting was held in Pradhikaran, with 900 personal invitations extended to local citizens and registrations from students and parents of 12 local schools.

Seventy-three citizens voluntarily registered, and 55 were chosen through the lottery based on various criteria, including age, sector, and willingness to learn cycling. The selected group comprises 29 women and 26 men.

The meeting saw active participation from 18 women and 20 men from Nigdi Pradhikaran, along with representatives from various cycling clubs. Architect Prasanna Desai detailed the proposed roads and structures for the project.

The Environmental Education Center, with significant efforts from Dr. Sanskriti Menon, Amarnath Karan, Avdhut Abhyankar, and Kunal Jaiswal, organized the event. The project also received support from Prasanna Desai Architects and ITDP.

Dr. Avinash Madale, Executive Engineer Bapu Gaikwad, Sunil Pawar, and Girish Gutte were among the notable attendees. During the workshop, citizens proposed suggestions and new ideas, which were then prioritized through a voting process. These suggestions will be submitted to the Municipal Corporation for implementation under the Green Setu project.