Parvez Ud Din
Srinagar: Inter-district public transportation in Kashmir is set to receive a big boost with 100 more e-Buses being added to the existing fleet under the Srinagar Smart City Project soon. The ongoing efforts to strengthen connectivity to even remote areas is expected to provide a huge relief to the local people in the respective areas.
Speaking on this, Commissioner of Srinagar Municipal Corporation and CEO of Smart City Project Dr. Owais Ahmed said that inter-district e-Bus services are being started in Kashmir under the smart city project. In this case, Anantnag will be the first district where some of these e-Buses are being made available.
Dr Owais Ahmed, during a special conversation with ETV Bharat, said that under the Srinagar Smart City project, 100 Buses are seen running on different routes in three districts of the valley every day. Now 100 more e-Buses are being added to increase the inter-district connectivity and provide relief to the people. In this regard, 100 more buses have been sanctioned in PM e-Bus Sewa and, as a result of this, the total number will increase from 100 to 200.
Dr. Owais Ahmed said that e-Bus services will be seen running on the roads of South Kashmir in the coming months and land has also been identified for making charging point for these buses in Anantnag. He said that after Anantnag district, we are going to introduce e-Bus services in North Kashmir in the same way. Because the demand of people to start e-Bus services from other districts is also increasing.
He said that due to e-Buses, a significant improvement is being seen in the public transport system in the city of Srinagar. Firstly, these e-Buses will give passengers a comfortable journey. Secondly, this service is available for passengers on the streets of Srinagar until late in the evening.
In response to a question, CEO said that 360 new bus stops are being constructed for the convenience of passengers and screens should be installed at these bus stops to provide information about e-Buses plying on the route. So that the passengers can get information about the time of the vehicles, the buses running on the route and they can make their journeys easy and comfortable by being informed.
Dr. Owais Ahmad, said that the diesel buses of SRTC have been stopped and since a few years now, the pollution in Srinagar has been significantly reduced due to the running of e-Buses and e-Rickshaws on the streets of Srinagar city.
The e-Buses were introduced in Srinagar in the year 2023 under the Smart City Project. Initially, this e-Bus services were available to people in Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal under Smart City Project. Fully air-conditioned and comfortable e-Buses have become a favorite ride of the people. At present, 100 e-Buses are plying on a daily basis in Budgam and Ganderbal apart from Srinagar municipal limits.
But two e-Buses have been kept in reserve so that they can be used in case of emergency or if any bus breaks down. Among these e-Buses, 12 each are available in Ganderbal and Budgam districts and 74 e-Buses are available for passengers on different routes in Srinagar.
In response to a question regarding water transport, Commissioner Dr. Owais Ahmed said that people will see water transport in Srinagar very soon. The tendering process was going on in this regard, which has been completed recently, he said. However, more work is left in this regard, which is expected to be completed soon and it is expected that water transport will start from the Jhelum river very soon, he added.
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