Jammu:Jammu and Srinagar will soon get Light Rail Transit System corridors – a sort of light metro and detail project reports (DPR) for both the places have been completed, officials said.
The much-hyped project will be managed by Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MRDA) which was formed recently by the government to expedite various schemes.
MRDA managing director Rajeev Ranjan said the project report will be submitted before the Union cabinet for final approval by the next month. “If everything goes according to plan, the work on these prestigious projects could begin by the end of this year.’’
He termed the project as a light metro, which is different from a metro. It is an alleviated project in which an engine could be driving three coaches. “It is not an underground project because that is not feasible in J&K.”
Ranjan said the project will help in facilitating the travel of people in two big cities of the state. The DPR for both Jammu and Srinagar projects was prepared by RITES—a consultancy service working for development of infrastructure in Urban transport. The project will require around Rs 10, 000 crores for its completion.
“We got the project report prepared last year and now it is being handled by a separate authority,” Jammu and Kashmir ERA chief executive officer Raghav Langer said.
The Srinagar corridor will have 24 stations with 12 each in the two parts of the corridor. The corridor-I will be spread over 12.5km and will begin from HMT (Shalteng) till Indra Nagar, which is close to the Army’s 15 Corps headquarters. The corridor-II will cover a distance of 12.5km and will begin from Osmanabad till Hazuri bagh in the heart of city. Officials said the distance between the intersections will be around one kilometre.
The Jammu city will also have a two-part corridor of 23km length. The Corridor-I will begin from Bantalab to Greater Kalash and will have 17 stations. It will pass through the heart of Jammu city.
The Corridor II will start from Udheywala and end at Exhibition ground and will have six stations. Both the corridors will have major depots.
E Sreedharan, known as the metro man, who was appointed as an advisor by the J&K government, had also visited the sites of both the projects and given a go ahead.