Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 12: Lieutenant Governor, Girish Chandra Murmu today directed the Transport Department to increase the fleet as well as the frequency of Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation buses for the convenience of the general public across Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Lt. Governor passed these directions while reviewing the functioning of Transport Department in a meeting here at the Civil Secretariat.
BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary; Arun Kumar Mehta, Financial Commissioner, Finance; Bipul Pathak, Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor; Dr. Asgar Hassan Samoon, Principal Secretary, Transport Department and Owais Ahmed, Transport Commissioner attended the meeting.
Emphasizing on efficient and effective operations, the Lt. Governor directed the officers to ensure optimum utilization of the existing fleet of buses. He observed that a rational deployment and notification of the scheduling of operational vehicles along with routes is prerequisite to improve transport connectivity.
The Lt. Governor directed the officers to identify hungry routes and increase the frequency and number of vehicles plying on such routes to meet the demands of the people. He also asked the department to devise a comprehensive plan for the creation of scrap yards for disposal of outdated and phased out vehicles.
Stressing on the importance of road safety, the Lt. Governor entrusted upon all the stake holders to take effective measures in order to reduce the rate of traffic related accidents with special focus on hilly areas.
The Lt. Governor further directed the officers to organize health camps for conducting regular health checkups of drivers and conductors of all JKRTC and other commercial vehicles. He further instructed them to keep a strict vigil to ensure that all vehicle owners must have third party vehicle insurance.
The Lt. Governor also enquired about the frequency of eco friendly public transportation plying on the routes of Jammu and Srinagar cities.
Meanwhile, Lt Governor reviewed the functioning of Agriculture, Horticulture and other allied sectors in a meeting at the Civil Secretariat.
Secretary, Agriculture and Horticulture Department; Manzoor Ahmad Lone gave a detailed briefing about the progress, achievements and future plans in the Horticulture and Agriculture departments.
The Lt. Governor observed that horticulture and other allied sectors have immense potential to generate huge employment avenues and directed for mobilizing available resources in this regard. He stressed on the need for taking reformative measures for the development and expansion of these sectors.
The Lt. Governor directed the officers to work out a plan to prepare 4 crore root stock for 10,000 Ha of land for developing high density apple orchards and set a timeline of 3 years for the same. He underscored the importance of increasing productivity in the Horticulture sector, which has the potential to yield three times the income currently being generated.
To make the fruit mandis more vibrant, the Lt. Governor directed the officers to explore the possibility of converting the fruit mandis into entities under Sec.8 of the Companies Act. He also directed the officers to establish new fruit processing units which will increase the returns to growers and enhance employment. He asked the officers to come up with the proper plan for sprinkle and drip irrigation for the areas with no or limited irrigation sources. He also directed them to complete all the ongoing projects within the stipulated time.
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