RANCHI: To make commuting easy urban development department secretary, Arun Kumar Singh told Jharkhand High Court that the capital will have a metro rail service and build bicycle kiosks to encourage biking.
Appearing before a division bench of Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice Rajesh Kumar for hearing on a PIL, Arun Kumar Singh said, “The Ranchi Metro on its 16.2 kilometres long tracks will operate through Smart City, MG Marg, Kutchery Chowk and a depot after the CRPF Camp station in its first stage and the policy for the metro services had been already formulated by the state government and sent it to the Centre.
He also said, “As per the centre’s criteria, cities with population more than 10 lakhs are allowed to have metro rail services, so Ranchi is qualified”.
Further senior IAS officer also informed the bench and said, “We were planning to start bicycle services in various parts of the capital to curb traffic congestion. Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) would build kiosks in collaboration with urban development department where commuters can rent bicycles. People will hire cycles to go to their work place while their vehicles will be parked at another point. This practice will ease vehicular pressure in the main arteries of the city.”
The secretary said an intra-state bus terminus, would come up at Sukurhutu in Kanke, and a Transport Nagar at the marketing Board Complex in Pandra.
The PIL was filed by advocate Rahul Das after the death of two school children in a road accident at Kishoregunj in 2015.
With the objective of streamlining traffic, improving urban infrastructure, using green technology to beat rising pollution levels and organising medical help for those who are injured in road accidents, the bench of Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice Rajesh Kumar passed several orders to widen the scope of the PIL.
Concluding the proceedings for the day, the bench ordered the urban development and road construction departments, along with the RMC, Ranchi Regional Development Authority and the State Pollution Control Board, to file affidavits on development projects.