Jammu, December 15: The Administrative Council (AC) which met here under the chairmanship of the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, approved the proposal of the Housing and Urban Development Department to sign a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding between National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Ministry of Railways (MoR), and Government of Jammu and Kashmir (GoJK) for co-development of Inter-Modal Station (IMS) at Katra through Katra Development Authority (KDA).
Farooq Khan and Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisors to the Lieutenant Governor, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary, J&K and Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor attended the meeting.
The approved IMS will be developed as a terminal infrastructure integrating various transportation modes of rail, road, air (helipad), bus, auto rickshaws, taxis and private vehicles at a single hub for seamless movement of people from one mode to another. The project will be completed in three years.
The Inter-Modal Station at Katra will be developed in two phases. The public zone and subsequently commercial infrastructures will be developed under phase I and II, respectively.
The decision is aimed at minimizing the transit time and cost for commuters and potentially extend the duration of their stay in Jammu and Kashmir.
Development of the IMS at Katra will also boost commercial development and economic activity which will significantly upscale the socio-economic profile of Katra and its adjoining areas.
For development of the infrastructure, a tripartite MoU will be signed which will regulate funding and promote coordination between various agencies for time bound execution of the project. The Chief Executive Officer, Katra Development Authority was authorized as the signatory on behalf of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir.
