J&K Govt to launch City Mobility Plan for Jammu & Srinagar

 Jammu, February 15 (Scoop News) – The Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah Tuesday said that Government is contemplating to launch a comprehensive City Mobility Plan for the twin cities of Jammu and Srinagar to streamline traffic movement, improve and upgrade road networks, introduce additional commuter facilities including launch of metro service and other programmes in a planned and balanced manner.

“We have already tied up with a national agency RITES to make detailed studies and finalize a report for the purpose. We expect the Agency to start his work in this regard by March this year”, he said adding that the requirement of additional flyovers and bridges in Jammu and Srinagar cities would be conceptualized in this mega development strategy.

            Omar Abdullah was speaking in the Jammu District Development Board meeting, said that the culture of Traffic Lights to manage movement of vehicles in the cities of Srinagar and Jammu is yet to be cultivated and Government is also working with two reputed companies to make studies and formulate DPR for this purpose. “Perhaps Jammu and Srinagar are only capital cities in the Country where traffic is not managed by Traffic Lights”, he said adding that this aspect needs focus of attention.

The meeting chaired by the Chief Minister was attended by the Minister for Medical Education, R. S. Chib, Minister for Revenue and Relief, Raman Bhalla, Deputy Chairman Legislative Council, Arvinder Singh Micky, Political Advisor to the Chief Minister, Devender Singh Rana, Chairmen, Advisory Boards, legislators, Chief Secretary, Madhav Lal, Principal Secretary Planning and Development, Khurshid Ahmad Ganai, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, B. B. Vyas, Principal Secretary PWD, K. B. Agarwal and senior officers.

            Omar said that the 1.20 kilometres flyover road project at Bikram Chowk at a cost of Rs. 91.35 crore and 6-lanning BC Road project at a cost of Rs. 43.9 crores have already been finalized and sent for Asian Development Bank (ADB) funding. He said the 1.9 kilometre Bikram Chowk, road project envisages two sub-ways and one overhead bridge. “We are expecting a team from ADB here shortly to finalize the projects”, he said.

            Omar said that he has already released Rs. 1 crore for the development of city roads in Jammu and another Rs. 1 crore is being released shortly. He said Jammu Municipal Corporation has been allotted Rs. 30 lakhs for the development of lanes and drains. “Soon we receive utilization certificates of these funds next installments will be released”, he added.

            “Government is also contemplating a new corridor for Poonch-Rajouri bound traffic Bye-passing Jammu city areas”, he said adding that the R&B Department has been asked to make studies for formulating a project to this effect under centrally sponsored scheme of viability gap funding. He said Rs. 19 crores have been earmarked for rural roads in Jammu district in the current District Development Plan and a bridge at Sangad in Nagrota constituency stands preferred to NABARD for funding.

He said that Border Security Force (BSF) would pay rent to the owners of land from the time it has taken its possession for Fencing Of Borders.

            “BSF will also pay the compensation to the owners after acquiring the said land. The State administration has finalized an arrangement with BSF in this regard”, he said in response to some points raised by various legislators in the meeting.

Omar said that 49 water supply schemes have been completed in Jammu city where as 44 overhead tanks and reservoirs stand constructed besides, laying of 323 kilometres water pipes. He said various works to improve and upgrade drainage system is already underway in the district.

             The Chief Minister announced over Rs. 7.50 crore additional funds for the current district plan to help complete various ongoing schemes. These include Rs. 1 crore untied grants, Rs. 2 crore for HT/LT improvement and Rs. 1.33 crore for irrigation and PHE works.

            The Chief Minister directed the Planning and Development Department for working out a scheme regarding setting up of ‘Water Pumps Bank’ on the analogy of ‘Power Transformers Bank’ initiated in the State on the directions of the Chief Minister from last year. “The Water Pumps Bank could prove highly useful to the farmers during irrigation season when pumps usually become faulty and tell upon badly on smooth conduct of agricultural activities”, he added.

            The Deputy Chairman Legislative Council, A. S. Micky, Vice Chairmen, Pahari, Kissan, Gujjar, SC and OBC Boards M. A. Bukhari, Rachpal Singh, B. A. Naz, Swarn Lata and Kuldeep Raj Verma, legislators Chaman Lal Gupta, Ashok Khajuria, Yashpal Kundal, Awashni Kumar, Jugal Kshore, Shyamlal Choudhary, G. R. Bhagat, Bharat Bushan, Sukhnandan, Indu Pawar, Ajay Sadhotra, B. R. Kundal, T. S. Wazir and  Amar Malhotra in their speeches highlighted various development demands of their constituencies and stressed on launch of new schemes for the expansion of health, education, PHE and communication network in the district. They also raised the points pertaining to the development of border and rural areas of Jammu district.

            The legislators appreciated the Chief Minister’s keenness to monitor pace of progress in each district personally and appreciated him for providing new schemes in various sectors.

            In a PowerPoint presentation the District Development Commissioner, Jammu, Sanjeev Verma stated that the district has registered 73.68 percent progress under the current District Plan by the end of January 2011. He said out of the total availability of Rs. 102.37 crores more than Rs. 75.42 crores have been spent during the said period. The District Development Commissioner gave sector wise resume of the achievements registered and targets realized in the district under the current plan.

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