Jammu, December 13: Against the backdrop of rising fatal road mishaps in Jammu and Kashmir, the Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) Girish Chandra Murmu today directed the transport department to increase the fleet as well as the frequency of Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation (JKSRTC) buses for the convenience of the general public across J&K.
The Lt-Governor passed these directions while reviewing the functioning of the Transport Department at a meeting here at the Civil Secretariat. He directed the officials to ensure optimum utilisation of the existing fleet of buses and observed that a rational deployment and notification of the scheduling of operational vehicles along with routes was prerequisite to improving the transport connectivity.
The L-G directed the officials “to identify hungry routes” and increase the frequency and number of vehicles plying on such routes to meet the demands of the people. He also asked the department to devise a comprehensive plan for the creation of scrap yards for the disposal of outdated and phased-out vehicles.
Stressing the importance of road safety, the Lt-Governor entrusted upon all stake-holders to take effective measures in order to reduce the rate of traffic-related accidents with special focus on hilly areas.
He further directed the officials to organise health camps for conducting regular health checkups of drivers and conductors of all JKRTC and other commercial vehicles. He further instructed them to keep a strict vigil to ensure that all vehicle owners must have third party vehicle insurance. The meeting was informed that there are a total of 643 operative vehicles, including 389 buses and 319 trucks, in the existing fleet position of the JKSRTC.
