Water transport services on Jhelum river to start later this month: Officials

The much-awaited water transport service on the Jhelum river in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir would start later this month, officials said today.

Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Baseer Ahmad Khan, said the government will start the services from June 28, an official spokesman said here.

Khan made the announcement after chairing an extensive meeting with senior officers from across the Valley to review the steps taken to streamline traffic in the Kashmir Division, he said.

The day service of the water transport will be started on the said date, the spokesman said.

Khan directed the deputy commissioner of Srinagar, the JKTDC and the irrigation and flood control departments to finalise route-wise rates for the service within four days, he said.

During the meeting, the divisional commissioner was informed that the irrigation and flood control departments had made a proposal of Rs 2.20 crores for construction of additional river ghats and Rs 35 lakh for the repair of old ghats.

The process of estimation for lightening arrangements along the ghats has been completed by the Power Development Department, the spokesman said.

It was further informed that the UEED had made a proposal of Sewage Treatment Plant for Raj Bagh at an estimated cost of Rs 7 crores, he said.

The spokesman said while reviewing the progress of road marking, installation of signages and mobile toilets, Khan directed officers to submit a complete report to the Divisional Commissioner's office within a week.

During the meeting, the spokesman said, a proposal submitted by the Traffic Advisor to the government was also discussed, to which the divisional commissioner said the government has marked two days a week (Saturday and Sunday) for pedestrians.

During these days, the vendor markets will remain open from TRC Crossing to Exhibition Ground.

In these days no traffic will ply on these routes, the spokesman said.

He said the divisional commissioner asked the Traffic Advisor to identify specific parking areas, the capacity of vehicles, total number of vendors and area occupancy by those vendors.