After reports on failure of the much-hyped ‘Mo Cycle’ project in the Capital city came to fore, more skeletons about the large-scale irregularities in the public cycle sharing scheme have started tumbling out with each passing day.
While hundreds of unused cycles rotting along road-side stand testimony to the failure of the scheme, the alleged sale of the cycles at throwaway prices has raised many eyebrows.
In the meantime, OTV has accessed the copy of an agreement signed between Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) and Hero Youon Private Limited for the ambitious project.
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According to the agreement, signed on February 1, 2019, "Hero Youon Private Limited will get Rs 25,000 for deployment of each cycle and get Rs 5,000 towards maintenance charges at the end of the every year till next five years."
Going by the agreement, the bicycle supplying company must have received Rs 10,000 for each cycle towards maintenances charges in the last two years. But, the condition of the cycles tells a different story hinting at major financial irregularities.
“The cycles were bought for Rs 25,000 each and Rs 5,000 was provided each towards maintenances. If they are not maintained properly, then those will be of no use. I think people in the Smart City did not accept the public cycle sharing scheme,” said Piyush Rout, urban planner.
Similarly in 2019, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) had initiated a new scheme and installed smart kiosks by spending crores of rupees at 25 places in the city to provide services like mobile charging, emergency call and first-aid kit. However, the kiosks are yet to be operational.
“The work for smart kiosks is underway,” said BMC Commissioner Sanjay Singh.