May 10: The mountainous terrain of Jammu and Kashmir for a long time has posed a mobility issue both for common people and for the industries that are operating there. The connectivity issue has recently been recognized by the government and while addressing the same, the Jammu and Kashmir government has recently signed an MoU with National Highways Logistics Management Limited. With the MoU, the concerned stakeholders will work towards the development of ropeway networks and will provide the people with an alternate option of mobility, especially in remote habitation that has sparse connectivity. This MoU was much awaited in Jammu and Kashmir to solve the mobility issue in Jammu and Kashmir. In addition to providing a solution to the mobile problem, it is also expected that this project will further help in promoting tourism in the region. This transport system has also been described as environmentally friendly and sustainable and is expected to play an important role in the process of decongesting the urban spaces. 

Inauguration Of Other Projects

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited Jammu and Kashmir and during his visit, he inaugurated many important projects in the state. Two inaugurated projects which will directly improve the connectivity in the region are the Banihal-Qazigund Road Tunnel and the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expression. Such a project will also make it easier for the logistics companies like Delhivery and GATI to provide efficient service to the people residing in Jammu and Kashmir too. By focusing on such projects, the government is aiming to improve the connectivity in the region to bridge the issue and provide all-weather connectivity to Jammu and Kashmir. 

The Banihal-Qazigund tunnel will reduce the road distance by 16 km between Banihal located in Jammu and Qazigund located in Kashmir. The estimated cost of the project is INR 3,100. The tunnel will feature an exhaust system and state-of-the-art twin tubes that will make the tunnel suitable for all-transportation routes. Also, it will be 8.45 long and will cut down the transportation duration between the location by one and a half hours. The tunnel will also help to bring the two regions closer. 

Previous Transportation Development In Jammu And Kashmir 

Back in 2018, to improve transportation in Jammu and Kashmir, the then State’s Transport Minister introduced an Intelligent Transport Management System or ITMS. It was an advanced application which was designed to provide innovative services to different transport modes to give the users the ability to enjoy a safer and coordinated journey. In addition to that, the government also introduced the Road Accident Data Management System to work on the road safety of the region based on scientific data collected through various sources. Also, another app named Ride Safe was designed to give the public the power to report any irresponsible driving that they saw. The Ride Safe app came with geo-intelligence which upon receiving a complaint, alerted the concerned officials, making it possible for quick intervention to avoid any accident. 

Also, in 2016, the government started the Ladies Special Bus Service that was destined to run in the city of Srinagar from 8 am to 6 pm daily. The service was provided by Jammu and Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation along with other private transporters. The buses were deployed on an hourly basis. With the launch of this service, the government was also planning to expand the same service to other parts of the region too. In short, the government has been working to improve transportation in Jammu and Kashmir for a long time. 

It was extremely important to address the different mobility issues in Jammu and Kashmir. Like any other mountainous region of India, Jammu and Kashmir faced transportation issues. However, it is extremely important to have good connectivity for the development of a region. With the recent steps taken to improve the mobility issue in the state, it is expected that the region will develop. However, few of the projects have just been inaugurated and it will take some time to see the fruits of these projects. Irrespective of the fact, the future is bright for Jammu and Kashmir when it comes to improvement in mobility. This will be helpful for the locals and also, to the different businesses and companies which are functioning there.(KNS)