No headway on preparation of mobility mgmt plan for Jammu, Srinagar metropolitan regions

Unified Transport Authorities fail to meet even once

Several members unaware of order issued in Feb this year

Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 5: There is no headway on the preparation of mobility management plan for metropolitan regions of Jammu and Srinagar as the Unified Transport Authorities, which were constituted seven months back, have failed to meet even once till date. Shockingly, several officers are unaware of being made members of these Authorities to handle the important task and this clearly indicates the absolute non-seriousness on the part of the Government.
For coordinating and supervising the proper, orderly and rapid development of the areas of the Metropolitan Regions of Jammu and Srinagar and executing plans, projects and schemes for such development, the J&K Government in the month of December 2018 enacted Jammu and Kashmir Metropolitan Region Development Authority Act.
After more than two years, the Government understood the importance of constituting Unified Metropolitan Transport Authorities (UMTAs), which otherwise was most important step for implementing the Act and should have been given serious thought soon after the enactment of law in the year 2018.
Vide Government Order No.174-JK(GAD) dated February 19, 2020, Unified Metropolitan Transport Authorities were constituted for the metropolitan regions of Jammu and Srinagar under Section 16A(1) of the Jammu and Kashmir Metropolitan Region Development Authority Act, 2018.
Chief Secretary was made Chairman while as Administrative Secretaries of Finance, Housing and Urban Development, Public Works, Transport, Jal Shakti and Planning Development and Monitoring Departments were made members of these Authorities.
The other members include Additional Director General of Police, Traffic J&K, Divisional Commissioners, Chief Executive Officer of Economic Reconstruction Agency, CEOs of Jammu and Srinagar Smart City Ltd, Jammu and Srinagar Municipal Commissioners, Transport Commissioner and Vice-Chairmen of JDA and SDA.
These Authorities were directed to secure development of an integrated, efficient, modern, multi-modal mobility system including non-motorized means of mobility with focus on movement of people and goods instead of vehicles for the areas falling in the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Region Development Authority and to undertake all such activities as are necessary in achieving the object.
However, till date these Authorities have not met even once as a result of which mobility plans for Metropolitan Regions of Jammu and Srinagar could not be prepared, official sources told EXCELSIOR, adding “the most shocking aspect is that several officers who were made members of these Authorities are not even aware of the order issued in the month of February this year”.
EXCELSIOR contacted a number of officers who are the members of these Authorities but all expressed ignorance about establishment of the same. “Neither we have received copies of the Government order nor ever been invited to attend the meeting of such Authorities”, they said while wishing anonymity. This clearly indicates that concern was only confined to the issuance of order and not doing anything else.
“Actually, the Administrative Secretary of the Housing and Urban Development Department is supposed to take initiative for convening meetings of these Authorities and holding deliberations on the assigned task keeping in view the fact that he is Chief Executive Officer of Jammu and Srinagar Metropolitan Region Development Authorities and Member Secretary of the Unified Transport Authorities”, they further said.
“It seems that Government’s concern for preparation of strategic plan document to be called as Mobility Management Plan for developing an integrated, efficient, modern and multi-modal mobility system was just confined to the establishment of Authorities”, sources said, adding “how policy for guiding the approach for developing the transport system in the regions can be formulated with such a casual approach”.
These Unified Authorities are also supposed to identify source(s) of finance for the development of transport infrastructure and identify need and finalize regulatory mechanism to regulate integration between different modes, safety, fares, interoperability and other allied aspects.
Further, they are required to identify interventions in terms of infrastructure and amenities required to be made to achieve the object and promote research and development on mobility and capacity building for upgrading skills of stakeholders.