BK News

Jammu, 29: Ahejin88bet.onead of Union Budget 2024, the J&K Oil Tankers Union has urged the Unioak168app.babyn Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to look into the problems faced by transporters across India, especially that belonging to the ak168app.clubborder and hilly state of Jammu and Kashmir and announce a special package for the transport sector.

 According tks168app.siteo a statement issued to Business Kashmir, All Jammu And Kashmir Oil & LPG Tank,  Truck  Drivers & Cleaners Union, one ic88of the focal and prominent elected bodies of transporters in Jammu and Kashmir in its appeal requested the finance minister to address the basic issues of the transporters including reduciic88ng road taxes, toll taxes, Penalties, fines, late fees charges, tax ic88on vehicle insurance and also reduce GST on purchase of new transport vehicles.

ic88Laying the importance of the contribution of the transporter lr88sector in the nation’s economy, Ranjit Singlr88h Raina, the president of the drivers Union said that the Transport sector is one of the most important sectors of the Indian economy yet it is the most ignored one.

Presenting the demand of the transporter, he callr88led for strict compliance with minimum wage law for drivers, cleaners and lr88transport labourers. In his appeal, he also requested the union government to launch special schemes for the welfare of drivers and cleaners who become permanently disabled in road accidents while performing their duties.

op88Sardar Harasis Singh, the spokesperson of the union informed that All Jammu and  Kashmir Oil &   LPG Tank, Truck  si88Drivers & Cleaners Union would submit a detailed memorandum to88v the Chief Secretary,  J&K  highlighting the sufferings of the drivers and cleaners on the road, especially between Jammu- Srinagar Highway. Pertinent to mention here that Finance Minister  Nirmala Sitharamn will present the Union interim budget SEXXXXX-VNon Thursday, Feb 1, 2024.

BK News

Srinagar:jin88bet.oneak168app.baby Deputy Commissioner Shopian Sachin Kumar Vaishya Tuesday held a meeting to review the land acquisition process for NH-444 within the stipak168app.clubulated time frame in the district. 

The National Highway-444 is an alternaks168app.sitete highway to NH-44. It starts at Qazigund in Jammu and Kashmir and ends in Srinagaic88r, passing viaic88 district Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama. 

The meeting held a detailed review of the present status ic88of the land acquisition process and discussed the steps reqic88uired for removing the bottlenecks for the timely completion of the process. 

He adlr88vised all the concerned officers to complete the land acquisition process for NH-444 in Shopian within a few days. lr88

Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mushtaq Ahmad lr88Simnani; Assistant commissioner Revenue, Shahbaz Ahmad Bodha; Tehsildar Shopian, LDM, Executlr88ive Engineer R&B 1st Division Srinagar, Naib Tehsildars and other concerned officers attended the meeting.

op88The general public in the twin districts of Shopian and si88Kulgam have requested the administration for c88vompleting the demarcation of the land for the national highway at SEXXXXX-VNthe earliest, as the ambiguity of road tracts at certain places is creating confusion among them.  

‘A developed city is notjin88bet.one a place, where the poor have cars, it’s where the rich use public transportation’ 

Anonymous

The traffic situation in the city has turned into a complete mess. The number of vehicles is swelling day by day whak168app.babyereas most of the roads see no expansion, resulting in frequent jams and lots of inconvenience to the general public.

Srinagar, which has been categorised as one of the 53 metropolitans with its population touching about two million people, will be an only ciak168app.clubty without any functional public transport. The smart city tag, which often the administration adds to Srinagks168app.sitear, looks sham.

Government with tall claims to develop the city on ‘international lines’ and make it as one of the prime tourist locations in the global map is giving little attention to building the road network and proper transportation system, which is considered the nerve centre of any vibrant city. The most important comic88ponents of a liveable and environmentally sustainable city is a properly designed, efficient and affordaic88ble public transport system.

But here whole public transportation system of the city has been left to the beck and call of few transport associations – mostly owning minibuses unfit for ferrying public – who run it on their will, without keeping public convenience in view. Government has handed over complete control of the city’s public transport to those who have no accouic88ntability to general public. And even the number of these ‘mini-buses’ is dwindling each year.

Srinagar is the only city, which does not run Road Transport vehicles for the public, except for few electric buic88ses introduced a year or so ago. A huge RTC fleet is staying idle, which could otherwise ease peoplelr88’s lives and earn some money as well.

There is no Transport Authority, to govern the city traffic, plan for the roads and make policies for public transportation system. Transport and road planning gets marred between more than half a dozen government departments and bodies including traffic police, Slr88MC, Srinagar Development Authority, R&B etc.

There have been a numbelr88r of studies saying that public transport is more sustainable, occupies less road space and causes less pollution per passenger than personal vehicles. Government has no reason for not running RTC buses on some of the city roads, if not all. A good public transport system will automatically ease out the traffic on roads, as a number of people will prefer cost-effective mass tranlr88sit instead of their own vehicles.

The transport system of the city needs to be managed by a single agency, which can work on a public-private partnership basis. All top88he privately owned bus operators, who work under different association banners but are accountable to none, can comply with the agency for having a proper route and timing plan.

City authorities can also benesi88fit from various central schemes, which provides a number of incentives and investment support for building “high capacity public trans88vport systems” in state capitals.

The metro rail project is a good step in the direction of the sustained public transport system for the Srinagar city, but one, it will take many years to become operational as the work is yet to commence. Second, the metro rail network will need to be aided with the well build bus network.

To see lesser traffic jams oSEXXXXX-VNn Srinagar roads, make the size and number of the buses bigger.