Minister for Transport and Consumers Affairs and Public Distribution, Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan today said Government is mulling to introduce e- transaction service in the Transport Department and implementation of Short Message Services (SMS) for their reference for convenience of the general public. said that it would also enhance the efficacy and promptness in delivery system of the department.
The Minister revealed this at joint annual review meeting of Department of Transport, JK SRTC and State Motor Garage convened to review the financial and physical achievements of these departments.Minister of State for Transport and Cooperative Dr. Manohar Lal Sharma was also present in the meeting.
Addressing the meeting, the Minister stressed the need for organizing more and more awareness camps and workshops for sensitizing the general public about the traffic rules, ill effects of rash and careless driving. He said the enforcement of Motor Vehicle Department MVD Act and its advertisement through print and electronic media and installation of posters and banners in the premises of educational institutions and at public places depicting pictures of fatal accidents can also prove helpful in containing road accidents.The Minister said that separate facilitation centre would be opened both at Jammu and Srinagar at Regional Transport Offices for the convenience of the people. He asked the concerned to activate their field functionaries to check the overloading and overcharging, besides conducting on-the-spot checking to verify the documents of drivers and vehicles. He also asked to check and verify permits and other related the documents of vehicles plying to ferry the tourists from outside the State.
He directed for constitution of Quick Rescue Teams (QRTs) in accident prone district with necessary infrastructure at the earliest, adding that Poonch, Rajouri and erstwhile Doda district would be covered in the first phase. Calling for orientation programme for drivers, Choudhary Ramzan asked the drivers associations and other organizations to depute their drivers for orientation programmes to enhance their skill and know-how.The Minister directed the concerned for identifying hungry routes for deploying more vehicles for the area to avoid menace of overloading. He also asked for strict adherence for installation of meters at auto-rickshaws and private taxies plying in twin capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar for the convenience of commuters. He called for installation of more weigh bridges on Jammu-Kathua, Jammu- Srinagar, Jammu-Poonch national Highway. He directed for immediate installation of 4-mobile weigh bridges at Jakhani, Udhampur, Siot Morh, Rajouri, Sangrama, Baramull and Anantnag.
The meeting was informed that the department realized an amount of Rs. 81.96 crore against the target of Rs. 151.50 crore, besides 67915 vehicles were registered, 4480 route permits, 42120 driving licenses and 25153 fitness certificates were issued so far during the current fiscal. The MVD created an amount of Rs. 80.85 lakh as corpus fund to meet the ex-gratia relief to the next of kins of the road accident victims during the current year, the meeting was told.The meeting was informed that the MVD is affixing High Security Registration Number implementing GPS and GPRS solutions in the commercial and private vehicles to reduce the risk of road accidents and make driver accountable for any sort of negligence. The department has also launched Radio Taxi Service in the capital city Srinagar for the ease and convenience of general public at low and manageable rates, the meeting was told.
It was given out in the meeting that the 80 per cent construction work on record room in Regional Transport Office Complex, Narwal, Jammu is completed which is coming up at a cost of Rs. 53 lakh. A Transport Bhawan at Bemina, Srinagar is also coming up at an estimated cost of Rs. 693.31 lakh for which Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) have been submitted for approval, the meeting was told and added that a chunk of 100 kanals of land has been identified for construction of Institute of Driving Training and Research at Ghaink, Jammu for which DPRs of Rs. 2109.60 lakh have been submitted for accord of Administrative approval. Action against 10785 violators have been initiated for offences including overloading, without seat belt, helmet, using mobile and deficit documents, the meeting was informed. As many as 1020786 vehicles including buses, trucks, tanks, taxis, 3-wheelers, cars, jeeps and two wheelers have been registered so far during the current fiscal. Among others, Secretary, Transport, Shahid Anayatullah, Transport Commissioner, Mr. Sourab Bhagat, Director, State Motor Garages, G A Sofi, Deputy Inspector General Police (Traffic), Shafqat Watalli, Managing Director, JK SRTC, J S Tandon, Regional Transport Officers Jammu and Srinagar, besides Assistant Regional Transport Officers of Jammu and Kashmir pision attended the meeting.