The city of Hyderabad is about to get its first solar roof cycling track by summer next year. The track will be 23 km long, and 4.5 metres wide. Out of this stretch, 21 km will boast a solar roof and the solar panels will generate 16 MW of electricity.
Telangana Municipal Minister, KT Rama Rao laid the foundation stone for the project on Tuesday, 6th September 2022.
The minister also promised that the state government will finish the track’s construction by the summer of 2023.
For the proposed cycling track, the state government has drawn inspiration from South Korea. A team from Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) and Hyderabad Growth Corridor Limited (HGCL) had visited the East Asian country, to study the cycling track between Daejon and Sejong regions.
The project in Hyderabad will be an improvised version of the South Korean model. It will offer better aesthetics and more facilities such as lighting, protection from rain, and other amenities like food stalls, etc.
The track will also provide parking spaces, bicycle docking and rental station, drinking water, restrooms, and basic bicycle repair shops for cyclists. Moreover, since lighting facilities will be available, the track will be in use 24×7.
The track will cover an 8.5 km distance between Nanakramguda and the Telangana State Police Academy (TSPA) and a 14.5 km distance between Narsingi and Kollur. The project will be constructed along the service road of the outer ring road. Further, a one-metre green space will be created on either side of the track.
Since the project is being developed near the city’s IT corridor, it promises to benefit those individuals who ride bicycles to their offices.
Hyderabad Growth Corridor Limited (HGCL) will construct the cycle lanes. The project is being developed under a RESCO (Renewable Energy Service Company) model. The RESCO operator will be responsible for investing the total initial capital required for installing the solar panels and maintaining the project for 25 years. The energy generated will be sold to the government at a discounted price.
The estimated cost of the cycling track is around Rs 95 crores.
The state government has also stated that they have planned to develop another 46 km cycling track around the developing residential locality of Gandipet.
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Resource: The Indian Express
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