Cyclists in Kolkata are confused whether cycling is allowed on major roads as the West Bengal government has not ratified the order banning it. The Kolkata Police had issued a notification on May 28 under the West Bengal Traffic Regulation Act, 1965, barring bicycles from 174 roads, a blanket ban in effect.
The ban included cycles, cycle-vans, handcarts and bakery vans. However, according to Section 4 (2) of the Act, any such order should remain in force for not more than two months unless approved by the state government. West Bengal Transport minister Madan Mitra admitted to PTI that the government has not yet approved the police order. Legal experts said this made the police notification invalid.
The police, however, continued to fine cyclists and have not removed the no-cycling boards from major roads. When asked, the transport minister said the police were not taking tough action against cyclists. "We don't have infrastructure to handle cycles although I love cycles myself as it is non-polluting," he said.
Ekta Kothari Jaju, secretary of NGO 'Switch ON' and co-convener of Chakra Satyagraha has written to Police Commissioner Surajit Kar Purkayastha urging him to stop fining cyclists. She said that she has requested him to take down all 'No Cycling' boards from the metropolis and inform traffic police not to levy fines on cyclists and non-motorised transport users with immediate effect.
Members of 'Chakra Satyagraha', a movement by cyclists, newspaper vendors, courier delivery boys, milkmen, carpenters, masons and other labourers, met the minister on Tuesday. "Police continue to harass cyclists who use the cycle to commute for their daily livelihood," Kolkata Cycle Arohi Adhikar-O-Jibika Raksha Committee leader Dukhshyam Mandal told the minister.
Over the last six months, they have organised several protests demanding lifting of the ban saying it impacted the livelihood of the poor, added to the traffic woes and went against the environment. Nearly 2.5 million cycle trips are made daily in Kolkata.
"Such a ban is socially non-inclusive, inequitable and environmentally hazardous and is a suicide note for our beautiful city of joy. Hundreds will be forced to convert to motorised transport and push to the brink the over-stretched infrastructure of the city," said green activist Vinay Jaju.
Social activist Medha Patkar also wrote to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee requesting her to revoke the ban saying such decisions worked against the poor and working class.
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