Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 5: Srinagar Development Authority (SDA) has proposed a metro network for greater Srinagar to overcome mounting traffic congestion in the city. The proposed metro lines span from Gallandar on the South upto Narbal Chowk on the North and from Nowgam Railway Station upto Ganderbal.
This information was given at a high-level meeting held here today under the chairmanship of Minister for Urban Development & Urban Local Bodies, Nawang Rigzin Jora to review the progress of Srinagar Master Plan.
Commissioner Secretary Housing & Urban Development Department, Jeet Lal Gupta, Vice-Chairman, Srinagar Development Authority, Mohammad Shafi Rather, Vice-Chairman LAWDA, Irfan Yasin, Chief Engineer R&B Kashmir, M A Lone, Chief Architect J&K, V C Pant, Joint Commissioner Planning SMC, Mushtaq Ahmad and other officers from concerned departments and agencies were present at the meeting.
The meeting was informed that the scarcity of quality and planned road networks besides the lack of organized parking facilities in the Srinagar city has led to high degrees of traffic congestion that is going to aggravate further in the coming time. To overcome the traffic and transportation problems in the city, SDA has, in the new Master Plan, proposed a network of light metro and mini metro besides suggesting a network of new roads, flyovers, grade-separators and subways for Srinagar.
The meeting was informed that out of the two proposed metro lines, the one originating from Gallandar, the take-off point of the new expressway, after passing through Pampore, Sumarbugh, Panthachowk, Sonawar, Dalgate, Lal Chowk, Jehangir Chowk, Batamaloo, Bemina, JVC, Parimpora, Zainakote, Lawaypora, would end at Narbal Crossing.
The second metro line would operate from Nowgam Railway Station and after moving over to Bagh-e-Mehtab would pass through Chanapora, Natipora, Rambagh, Mehjoor Nagar, Jawahar Nagar, LD Hospital, Jehangir Chowk, Barbarshah, Baba Demb, Khanyar, Nowhatta, Hawal, Alamgari Bazaar, Bagh-e-Ali Mardan Khan, Nowshehra, SKIMS, Soura-Buchpora, Pandach and culminate at Ganderbal.
Jehangir Chowk would form the junction of the two metro lines which would provide reliable connectivity to the core area of the city.
The meeting was informed that besides delineating a transportation plan, the Srinagar Master Plan has earmarked dedicated hubs for various specialized activities including education, information technology, industry, agro activities, tourism, handicrafts and health care.
The meeting was informed that for the first time the Srinagar Master Plan would include the Zonal Plans, wherein the land use plan would be enumerated at the micro-level.
The meeting was informed that before being put in the public domain, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah would take a thorough review of the draft Master Plan. Pertinently, the Technical Committee has already put forth its suggestions on the Master Plan, which already stand incorporated in the draft Land Use Plan.
The midterm review of the Srinagar Master Plan 2000-2021 was undertaken by SDA in February 2012 to suggest ways and means to make the document more realistic and implementable in consonance with the ground realities, besides taking care of inaccuracies in the existing Mater Plan.
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