Omar Abdullah plans metro in Jammu, Srinagar

If things go as planned by Omar Abdullah, you will soon be able to take a speed tour of the Paradise on Earth.

The lurking terror threat notwithstanding, the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister is considering starting metro rail services in the state’s twin capitals.

“To overcome traffic jams and congestion and considering the increasing expanse of Jammu and Srinagar, the government is working on a proposal to start metro services in the twin capitals,” Omar said.

The government plans to conduct a traffic analysis by RITES, a government infrastructure development enterprise, and then approach the Delhi Metro Railway Corporation (DMRC) for a detailed project report that will include the feasibility and financial requirements.

“We will soon have the feasibility of metro services in both cities analysed by experts. Ideally, we would like DMRC to send a team and prepare a project report,” minister for urban development Nasir Aslam Wani said.

“Once we have the project report, we will focus on the finances. After that the construction will start. No time frame has been set, however,” Nasir said.

Travel operators were circumspect. “It is [the proposal] good and will boost tourism. But it is a time-consuming process. We first want the state to increase the frequency of flights between Srinagar and Leh to tap summer tourists,” GM Dag, chairman of J&K Tourism Alliance, said.