The maiden edition of Jam@Street saw a rousing response on Sunday with denizens hitting streets on early morning. The usual busy Bistupur Main Road wore a festive look as people from different walks of life participated in it.
On the stretch starting from the Bistupur police station to the N road traffic signal, Jamshedpur came out to bond with each other and enjoyed healthy activities like cycling, yoga and aerobics and entertainment at the same time.
Jam@Street was organised by institutions like Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jamshedpur Hoteliers Association and National Association of Street Vendors in India (NAVSI). It was supported by corporates like Tata Steel and Jusco. Based on fun, health, environment and food Jam@Street kicked off at 6 am and went on till 10 am.
Taking a cue from the steel festival organised at Mumbai, Gurgaon, and Bhubaneswar, the Steel City finally embraced the concept of vehicle-free streets on Sundays, under the banner Jam@Streets.
Dignitaries like T.V. Narendran, managing director, Tata Steel; Ashish Mathur, managing director, Jusco and Sunil Bhaskaran, vice-president, corporate services, Tata Steel also took time off and participated in the events to motivate the denizens. The Chief Minister Raghubar Das also visited the venue around 9:45 am and hailed the concept.
In sports section, people participated in boxing, roller skates, yoga and badminton. A rock band also performed live with people dancing to the tunes. Students of Jamshedpur Women's College managed a dance corner teaching a couple of steps on Bollywood numbers. Social organisations and Iskcon who played kirtan to give feel of devotion.
The event was designed in a way to promote bicycling for a cleaner environment without pollution. “It is an innovative way we want to instil a sense of belonging to the citizens here. It provides an opportunity for the whole family to blend together and indulge in different activities,” said an official of Jusco adding that plans are being made to organise event twice a month.
Several food stalls offering a variety of morning delights including dosas, golgappas, upma, idli, samosa, kachori sabzee, health drinks and fruits, sandwiches, cakes, were put up to tickle taste buds. Food was also an important part that was available at an affordable cost.
“ I have participated in one such event at Delhi. It’s really good to bring the joy and fun of the street to our city,” said Rahul Sharma, a college student.
Vehicular movement from 6.00 am to 10.00 am was restricted on Main Road, Bistupur. People wanting to go to railway station took to Kharkhai link Road to reach Kharkhai Bridge and then to Voltas roundabout.
"We are really surprise to see the response. Believe it or not, all the food stalls ran out of stock. We have plans to organise it regularly," said Anil Khemka, president, Jamshedpur Hoteliers Association.