Karnataka: Cycle freely at Nandi Hills on weekends

Bengaluru: On Saturday at 7 am, automobiles heading towards Nandi Hills will have to stop and give way to 300 cyclists, joggers and fitness enthusiasts. This famous tourist spot will be a cycle-friendly zone on weekends between 5 am and 9 am.

The event will be flagged off by Chikkaballapur MLA Dr Sudhakar K. This is an initiative by the MLA in collaboration with Spectrum racing.

"With the ever-increasing number of tourists flocking to Nandi hills, the safety of cyclists, trekkers and climbers are at risk, with huge volume of vehicles plying on the route. To avoid accidents, we have decided to keep Saturdays and Sundays, exclusively for cyclists, climbers," Dr Sudhakar said. The MLA hopes to make the morning vehicle ban permanent, depending on the turnout and people's response.

"It has been a long-standing wish of every single runner/cyclist and trekker to have a small window of time when they can safely pursue their passion on one of the Bengaluru's most famous biodiversity hotspots. Many running and cycling groups have yearned for this day without the perennial dangers of motorized vehicles," said Dr Arvind Bhateja, a neurosurgeon at the Sita Bhateja hospital.

Three-day fest to sensitise heritage 
Tourism Minister Priyank Kharge is going the extra mile to revive the much loved Nandi Hills, located about 63 kilometres away from the city.

From a regular sunrise point to introducing extreme sports such as rock climbing and cyclathons to the hills, the state Tourism Ministry of Karnataka along with United Way of Begaluru are set to bring together Nandi Habba in September later this year.

The Habba will be a three-day festival that will aim to highlight the historical aspect of Nandi Hills, which is often ignored, said Priyank Kharge. “We would like to sensitize people about Nandi Hills, about its heritage and its history. We also want them to know and learn about the flora and fauna that exist in the hills,” he added.

Bengaluru Detours, the government’s scheme that provides pick up and drop to tourists may also be a part of this festival.Kharge also said the government has plans to combat the ecological damage that may be caused by sudden increase in footfalls in the hills. “The idea is to ensure that we have a master plan keep the ecological sensitivity of the area in mind. Our partner United Way will work with us on that. We will make sure that the ecology isn’t harmed, because if we lose that too, what else will be left for us Bengalureans?” he said.