Minister raises border area issues, secures central support for ATS in J&K
New Delhi: Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Information Technology, Transport, Youth Services and Sports, Science & Technology, ARI and Trainings, Satish Sharma, Thursday participated in the Meeting of Transport Ministers of all States and Union Territories and the 43rd Meeting of the Transport Development Council (TDC) held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, under the chairmanship of Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari.
The high level national meeting deliberated on a wide range of issues related to road safety, vehicular standards, accident response mechanisms and transport refor These included cashless treatment for the accident victims, compensation to hit-and-run cases, e-DAR implementation, Zero Fatality Districts, Sadak Suraksha Mission, BN-CAP 2.0, bus body codes, Divyangjan accessibility and introduction of advanced safety technologies in buses and trucks.
Earlier, Satish Sharma held a detailed interaction with Nitin Gadkari, during which he highlighted the pressing problems faced by the people residing in border and far-flung areas of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in terms of emergency medical services and public transport connectivity. He strongly urged the Union Minister to provide ambulances and Border Passenger (BP) buses for the border belts so that residents are ensured timely medical aid and dependable transport facilities.
The Minister also sought Central Government funding for establishment of Automated Testing Stations (ATS) in Srinagar and Jammu, stating that these facilities are essential for ensuring scientific vehicle fitness testing, pollution control and enhanced road safety.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari agreed to the proposal on the spot, assuring full support for setting up the ATS infrastructure in the Union Territory.
The meeting also witnessed discussion on safety standards, programme schedules and the proposed amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act, with emphasis on strict compliance with the safety norms, time-bound implementation and high-quality execution of transport and highway projects.
Later in the day, Satish Sharma met with the representatives of major travel and transport unions from across the country.
During the interaction, he invited them to become active partners in the tourism and trade development of Jammu and Kashmir. He highlighted the immense potential of Jammu and Kashmir in pilgrimage, leisure and adventure tourism as well as in logistics and commercial transport.
He assured all government’s commitment towards providing a conducive, secure and business-friendly environment. He called upon them to expand their operations, tourism circuits and transport services in Jammu and Kashmir to help generate employment and strengthen the region’s economy.
