SRINAGAR,June 9- Minister of State for Transport, Sunil Sharma, today said that the Jammu Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation (JKSRTC) is going to introduce a new fleet of AC buses within two months under Private-Public Partnership mode which will offer world-class transport facility to people at affordable rates.
Winding up the discussion on demand of Grants for Transport Department, Mr Sharma said JKSRTC is an important asset in the kitty of J&K Government and every step will be taken to revive its glory.
"I assure this House that with the same set of people and same infrastructure, the Corporation which has run into losses for decades will see no losses during the financial year 2016-17. Under PPP mode, we have signed an MoU under which a fleet of top class AC buses will be introduced on different routes within two months," said Mr Sharma.
Detailing his vision before the House, Mr Sharma said that Transport Department has also signed an MoU with J&K Bank under which new buses and trucks are being procured by JKSRTC.
"The new buses will run on all the important routes in the State including Baramulla to Srinagar, Anantnag to Srinagar, Kupwara to Srinagar, Jammu to Srinagar, Poonch to Srinagar, Doda to Jammu, Poonch to Doda, besides other vital roads between various districts of the state," he said.
The Transport Minister said the Public Sector Undertakings (PSU) in Jammu and Kashmir face peculiar problems due to stiff competition from private players, "Most of the PSUs in J&K don't run in profits. Although there is a huge potential in the State, these PSUs need Government support. Although private players have a monopoly over public transport system, it will be my mission to take out JKSRTC from the morass. JKSRTC is meant for the welfare of people of Jammu and Kashmir and it is the obligation of the Government to provide quality services to people," said Mr Sharma.
The Transport Minister said the state Government is in talks with the Centre to start water transport service in Kashmir Valley, which will ease off burden from the already congested roads. He said that for the first time in the history of J&K, the Government is going to implement a comprehensive Road Safety Policy in the state.
Reacting to various demands raised in the House, Mr Sharma assured the members that their suggestions to improve the functioning and bringing accountability and transparency in the Transport Department will be considered by the Government.
He said that the PDP-BJP coalition Government is focusing on bringing transparency in licensing authority by introducing a new policy under which Smart Cards fitted with electronic chips will be provided instead of licenses to check the menace of fake licenses.
The Transport Minister said that two specialized institutes for driving and training of drivers of commercial vehicles are coming up in Jammu and Kashmir and a proposal has been sent to the Government of India for setting up Inspection Certification Centres in the state to check excessive pollution-emitting vehicles.
He said that the State Government is also going to introduce colour coding for different types of commercial vehicles which will be fitted with Speed Governors and GPS systems. The Transport Minister said that the Government has started a new fleet of city buses as well as buses for women on the directions of Chief Minister Ms Mehbooba Mufti.
Mr Sharma said that feasibility for Anantnag-Kishtwar bus service is being examined. He said that benefit of Sixth Pay Commission would be extended to JKSRTC employees on merit. He also said that necessary equipment would be provided to all the ARTO offices in 22 districts of J&K to film the trials conducted by the authority ahead of issuing licenses.
Later, the House passed the grants of Transport, for the year 2016-17, which were moved by the Minister, amounting to Rs 93.02 Crore with voice vote.
The members who took part in the discussion on demand of grants include Ch. Qamar Hussain, Neelam Kumar Langeh, G. M. Saroori, Mubarak Gul, Shah Mohammad Tantray, Dr. Krishen Lal, Pawan Kumar Gupta, Anjum Fazili, Vikar Rasool Wani, Mohammad Akbar Lone, M. Y. Tarigami, Yawar Mir, Daleep Singh Parihar, Asgar Ali Karbalie, Ab. Majid Paddar, Shakti Raj Parrihar, Abdul Majid Larmi, Shamim Firdous, Er. Abdul Rashid, Ajaz Ahmad Khan, Sheikh Ahmad Jabbar, Raja Manzoor, Dr. Gagan Bhagat, Usman Majid, Bashir Ahmed Dar and Altaf Ahmed Wani.
The members, who moved the Cut Motions on the Grants, withdrew after the satisfactory reply from the Minister.
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