agencies
NEW DELHI, Nov 19: Preparations are in full sing at Necklace Road on the banks of Hussainsagar, Hyderabad for India's first-ever Formula E World Championship race.
For the Formula E championship, scheduled on February 10 and 11, a 2.37km long track has been built wherein 22 drivers from 11 teams, coming from various parts of the world, will be participating and driving electric single-seater cars. The race is being organised by Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), in collaboration with the Telangana government.
Before the big event, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), in association with the Indian Racing League (IRL), is going to organise two races - a trial run on the track, to test its readiness for the race in February.
The first test run on a real-time basis will be held on November 19 and 20 and then again on December 10 and 11. According to Hindustan Times, a senior HMDA official informed "At least 22 electric racing cars will take part in the trial run to ensure that the track is fit for the mega event and all the requirements are met as per the the FIA specifications."
He said that the Formula E cars can go to a speed of 300 kmph on street circuits, especially black-topped roads, unlike the Formula I cars, which need to have special tracks.
However, the construction work isn't over yet around the Hussainsagar lake as authorities need to make all the arrangements, including construction of galleries to enable over 35,000 viewers to watch the event.
The official said, "Special safety equipment such as tech pro barriers, debris fences and other related track infrastructure is being built around the tracks to address the stringent safety requirements."
He further said that the championship will bring global recognition to the city of Hyderabad alongside London, Paris, Monaco and Berlin that are already known in the race circuit.
"The event will also prove that Hyderabad is looking at sustainability and promotion of EV technologies, which are the cornerstone of the Formula E races," he added.
Apart from the main event, the Telangana government has also announced that they will be hosting of a series of events such as the Hyderabad EV Summit, the Rall-E Hyderabad, and the Hyderabad E-Motor Show as part of Hyderabad e-mobility week from February 6 to 11.
However, the Formula E in India has also caught eyes of the nature lovers who have opposed the construction work due to possible repercussions of it on the nature. The nature lovers said that over 200 trees on the banks of the Hussainsagar lake have been laid off in building the racing track.
"We are extremely saddened to post this report from NTR Marg near Necklace Road. About 200 much-loved Trees of Gold (Tabebuia aurea) have been removed for Formula E race in February 2023. Palm and other trees have also been translocated to Sanjeevaiah Park. A mere 78 trees of gold have been left standing. This is tragic and ironic in a city that just won a green award," an activist of Save Banyan Trees of Chevella, a group of environmentalists from Hyderabad, posted on social media. |
