JAMMU AND KASHMIR: Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, chaired a meeting last week to discuss the Light Metro Rail Projects for the cities of Jammu and Srinagar. According to the representatives from the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited or MAHA-Metro, the Light Rail System (LRS) will be 23-kilometre in length in Jammu with 22 stations between Bantalab and Bari Brahmana. On the other hand, the LRS in Srinagar will have two corridors with a combined length of 25-kilometre. One corridor will be built between Indira Nagar to HMT Junction while the other will be built between Hazuri Bagh and Osmanabad, each with 12 stations and a length of 12.5-kilometre.
The Lieutenant Governor stressed on the linkage of Light Metro stations with tourist destinations and places receiving high footfall. He directed the officials in the meeting to prepare a plan for matters like clearance of Right of Way and land acquisition. According to a spokesperson, the estimated cost of the project is Rs 9,590 crore and it is expected to commence operations by September 2024. Manoj Sinha said that the project would be a leap towards sustainable public transport, which would be cost-effective