India, May 9 -- Once hailed as a bold step towards a greener, fitter city, a 39-km cycling track from Sion to Mulund now lies in shambles. Never used by cyclists, it has been draining crores of rupees in maintenance costs each year - hard-earned taxpayers' money - while serving as a den for all kinds of illicit activities, a refuge for encroachers, and a dumping ground for locals.

The latest maintenance tender, a Rs.9.5-crore contract for two years, is pending issuance to BB Infratech, the same firm awarded a Rs.3.7-crore maintenance contract last year.

Built in 2020, along the Tansa pipeline that supplies water to the city, the track snakes through Sion, Kurla, Ghatkopar and Saki Naka, before ending in Mulund. It cost the Brihanmumbai ...