Jammu and Kashmir gears up for Ola, Uber type Radio Taxi Service

In a bid to facilitate public transport, Jammu and Kashmir government is planning to start Radio Taxi Service in newly carved Union Territory. "In order to strengthen public transport system, radio taxi service on patterns of (Ola & Uber) will be started soon across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir," Principal Secretary Transport, Asgar Samoon said.

READ: Jammu & Kashmir Administration Extends PSA Detention Of Shah Faesal By Three Months

Radio taxi service set to start in Jammu and Kashmir 

Principal Secretary also chaired a meeting in this regard and said that radio taxi service shall ensure better transport facility with the safety of passengers besides creating employment avenues for locals. He said that technocrats, drivers, owners of taxis and auto-rickshaws will be roped in this service, which will operate through a Google-enabled app on patterns of Ola and Uber services. He said that Taxi service rules have been notified already and all related work is in progress to launch it soon in J&K.

He directed concerned officers to expedite work on the projects and ensure that pending work on IDRT at Kot Balwal and ICC at Samba in Jammu is completed by June this year. He also asked district administration Srinagar and Budgam to ensure work on projects of IDRT at Budgam and ICC at Harwan in Srinagar is started at the earliest.

READ: Five Doctors, Including Four Who Treated COVID-19 Victim, Test Positive For Coronavirus In Kashmir

At the outset, the Principal Secretary while taking a detailed review of Road Safety Funds emphasized the deployment of all safety equipment including 110 bikes procured last year. This year with the delay in the tendering process, Mr Samoon said that an amount of Rs 10 crores as Road Safety Fund will be released to DCs Rs 50 lac each for road safety management in their districts. He instructed for use of radon, identification of black sports, installation of cameras and other necessary equipment to avoid the occurrence of accidents across the J&K.

READ: J&K: Doda Declared 'terror-free' After Successive Eliminations Of Hizbul Terrorists

Directions were also passed by the Principal Secretary to the management of SRTC to ensure early procurement of new buses including electric-ones. He asked them to deploy bus services on various routes including Gurez, Ladakh and other remote areas to ensure better transport facility to the travellers.

READ: Lockdown 3 Restrictions To Continue Till 19 May In J&K