A mobile cycle clinic was inaugurated on January 23 on the sidelines of a cycling event in New Town.
“We are trying to build an ecosystem which promotes cycle as a mode of transport. We have built 30km of grid-separated track across New Town to allow people to cycle freely. The kind of high-end cycles that are being used today have completely different mechanisms from ordinary cycles, which are beyond the expertise of the local repair shops. So we thought of arranging for specialised maintenance service,” said NKDA chairman Debashis Sen.
The New Town civic authorities have signed a memorandum of understanding with GC Calcutta Cycle, whereby service will be provided on call for a fee of Rs 70.
“We are currently providing the service from 10am to 10pm. Later when the infrastructure is ready it might become 24 hours. We will do the repair on the spot or get the cycle picked up,” said Aniruddha Som on behalf of the company.
The company has outlets in Chinar Park, Downtown Mall and DLF1 in New Town other than in Bentinck Street in central Calcutta and Kankurgachhi. “We are distributor, retailer and wholeseller, with collaborations with 18 companies worldwide, including some top-ranking international ones like Scott, Giant and Bergamont,” Som added.
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He pointed to a surge in cycling habits in the pandemic period. “We even accepted cycle delivery orders over phone and delivered at the doorstep. We must have sold 100-150 battery-operated cycles. These cost Rs 25,000 upwards.”
Salt Lake, New Town and its adjoining localities have a lot of cyclists, he said. Some customers here also own high-end carbon cycles costing over Rs 1 lakh. “We have brought over expert mechanics from Pune and Bangalore to handle those.”
Shalini Srivastava owns a BMW cycle, with multiple gears, that can be ridden in mountainous terrains too. “I have not needed to repair my bike yet which I got from Surat. But it is good to know there is such a facility now,” said the resident of Uttara Housing Complex, opposite City Centre 2.
The helplines to call for repair are 7044877785 and 7044752257.
