Guwahati, Oct 2: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday launched a bicycle made of bamboo, and said such bicycles would be made available at parks in Guwahati for people to ride.
The ‘Assam Bamboo Bicycle’ has been manufactured at the Bamboo Technology Park in Chhaygaon in partnership with Pune’s Bamboo India. The raw material for manufacturing these bicycles is being sourced from across the state. The Rs 15-crore project has set a target of manufacturing 1,000 bicycles per month, officials said.
Sarma, who rode the bicycle at the launch, said its structure is entirely made of bamboo and it has been certified by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
“Bamboo, native to Assam, has over 800 byproducts and can be used extensively — from methanol to aviation turbine fuel to reinforced structures and much more,” Sarma said.
He said the Centre’s policy of classifying bamboo as a grass has opened up a world of opportunities for the sector.
“In the next few days, we will make bamboo bicycles available in parks across Guwahati for people to ride them and take their feedback on the product before procuring more,” the CM said.
He said the bicycle has blended Assam’s rich bamboo heritage with modern technology for green mobility, marking a major stride toward sustainable transit.
Officials said the bamboo bicycle manufacturing unit will provide 50-100 direct jobs along with boosting local value addition, rural livelihoods and green enterprise across the entire supply chain — from harvesting to assembly and services.
