Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today chaired a meeting of the Multi-Disciplinary Committee (MDC) on Traffic Management Systems for Jammu and Srinagar cities to review plans and proposals aimed at easing congestion, strengthening road safety, and improving overall urban mobility in the twin capital cities.
The meeting was attended by senior administrative and police officers, including Additional Chief Secretaries of Tourism and Public Works Departments; Principal Secretary, Home; Commissioner Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department (H&UDD); Divisional Commissioner, Jammu/Kashmir; Inspector General of Police, Traffic; Secretary, Transport; Deputy Inspectors General of Traffic, Jammu/Kashmir; Senior Superintendents of Police, Traffic, Srinagar/Jammu; Commissioners of Municipal Corporations, Jammu and Srinagar; Vice Chairman, Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA); Vice-Chairman, Jammu Development Authority (JDA); Director, Urban Local Bodies, besides officers from other concerned departments.
Reviewing the progress, the Chief Secretary impressed upon the departments of Housing & Urban Development, Traffic Police, and the Municipal Corporations to move towards ground-level execution of the identified projects after finalisation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) and completion of other statutory and procedural requirements. He directed the departments to issue necessary notifications and amend rules wherever required to facilitate timely implementation and strict enforcement of traffic management measures.
The Chief Secretary observed that since the projects have already been identified in consultation with the Divisional Administrations, it was now imperative to begin implementation by making appropriate budgetary provisions, particularly as the budget exercise is currently underway. He also stressed the need for notifying changes in traffic routes, no-parking zones, and no-honking areas to ensure adequate public awareness and compliance.
Principal Secretary, Home Department, Chandraker Bharti, suggested that all approved traffic management projects be mapped on the Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP) platform to enable effective monitoring and tracking of their progress.
Commissioner Secretary, H&UDD, Mandeep Kaur, while outlining the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the MDC, detailed the components of the comprehensive traffic management plan for both cities being implemented here. She stated that an efficient traffic management system envisages the strengthening of the Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS), development of rotaries, junctions and T-points, and integration with Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs) for centralized traffic monitoring.
She further elaborated that the plan includes ensuring lane discipline and strict enforcement against traffic violations through e-challans, cancellation of driving licences, registration certificates, and route permits, besides identification of high-traffic and congested corridors for alternative traffic solutions.
The traffic management strategy, as elaborated, also encompasses encroachment control, traffic flow regulation, decongestion measures such as relocation of vending zones, identification of pedestrian corridors, installation of dividers, development of bus stops and shelters, IT-enabled parking systems, enhancement of road capacity, and implementation of road safety and accident reduction measures.
Additionally, the plan proposes introduction of shikara and water transport management, improvement of footpaths, capacity building, public awareness initiatives, and enhanced inter-departmental coordination to ensure effective and sustainable traffic management in Jammu and Srinagar.