Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said that the deaths of two persons in Kathua and Sopore were discussed during his recent meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Abdullah’s statement comes a day after opposition PDP president Mehbooba Mufti criticized the chief minister saying she had expected him to raise the two incidents during his meeting with Shah.
“It was a good meeting. Several issues were discussed including the Sopore killing and death in Kathua. It was emphasised that there should be a transparent probe and anyone found guilty should be punished,” Abdullah, who met Shah in Delhi on Monday, told reporters in Ganderbal.
In Billawar area of Kathua district on February 4, a 26-year-old man, accused of being involved in militancy, allegedly committed suicide following alleged harassment by police. In Sopore of Baramulla district, a truck driver was killed in Army firing on February 5 when he allegedly refused to stop his vehicle at a check post.
After the two deaths, the chief minister had said that incidents like these “risk alienating the very people who we need to carry with us on the road to complete normalcy”.
“I have taken up these incidents with the Union Government & insisted that both incidents are inquired into in a time bound, transparent manner. The Government in J&K will also order its own inquiries,” Abdullah had said in a post on X on February 6.
On Wednesday, Abdullah also said restoration of statehood to J&K was also discussed in the meeting with Shah.
“We also discussed the forthcoming budget session. We are currently in a Union Territory setup and the Centre has a role to play in the budget,” he added.
Holds Pre-Budget Consultations
Continuing with extensive pre-budget consultations, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah held a series of meetings with public representatives from various districts of Kashmir at the Civil Secretariat, Srinagar.
The Chief Minister chaired pre-budget consultations with the chairpersons of District Development Councils (DDCs) and Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) from the districts of Srinagar, Ganderbal and Bandipora, who participated both in person and virtually.
During the discussions, the MLAs of Srinagar sought liberal funding for priority developmental projects and key public welfare initiatives in their respective constituencies, keeping in view the significance of the capital city. MLAs Ali Muhammad Sagar, Mubarak Gul, Shamim Firdous, Tanvir Sadiq, Ahsan Pardesi, Salman Ali Sagar discussed their plans in the meeting.
Notably, Jammu & Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) Chief, Tariq Hameed Karra skipped the meeting.
The consultation covered a wide range of issues, including traffic decongestion by exploring alternate routes, parking lots in downtown Srinagar, reducing vehicular pressure on roads, constructing flyovers, community halls. The restoration of water bodies, improvement of sports infrastructure, vertical housing projects, dredging of Dal interiors and the development of an efficient drainage system were also discussed.
MLAs highlighted the need for better drinking water quality, upgraded sewage treatment plants, improved electricity supply, and an effective solid waste management system. They further stressed the importance of scientific disposal of waste at Achan landfill site, identifying new dumping sites, introducing water ambulances in Dal Lake, dredging its canals, enhancing relief for fire victims, widening of interior roads & boulevard road and removing existing bottlenecks. A demand for creating employment avenues for the youth of Srinagar was also emphasized and making some provisions in the annual budget.
The meeting held with elected representatives from Bandipora and Ganderbal districts was attended by chairman DDC Bandipora, MLAs of Gurez, Sumbal, and Bandipora constituencies, and MLA of Kangan constituency from Ganderbal district. Notably, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah represents the Ganderbal constituency in the J&K Assembly and was briefed about budget proposals for Ganderbal district.
During the meeting, the MLAs presented various developmental proposals and infrastructure plans for their constituencies, focusing on providing of fire service stations, National Highway status for Bandipora-Gurez road, allowances for officials serving in far flung areas, employment to locals in HEP projects, providing critical medical equipment in Bandipora health institutions , basic facilities for tribal areas, reviving minor irrigation khuls, fish rearing and creating income generation opportunities in tourism centric locations.
They highlighted the need for improvements in health and education, as well as infrastructure development in respect of roads, water supply, power distribution, and irrigation.
The discussions also centered on boosting tourism and enhancing youth services and sports facilities. The MLAs emphasized the importance of ensuring employment opportunities for local youth in various projects and addressed key public demands concerning their respective constituencies.
The Deputy Commissioners from each district presented detailed presentations outlining the district profiles, demographics, and existing infrastructure in key sectors, including health, education, roads, drainage, public health engineering (PHE), and power sector.
The presentations also provided insights into the District Capex, Centrally Sponsored Schemes and ongoing projects under the current plan.
All MLAs expressed their gratitude to the Chief Minister for involving them in the pre-budget consultations and acknowledged the inclusive approach of the government.
The meeting was also attended by Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary to the CM Dheeraj Gupta, Principal Secretary Finance Santosh D Vaidya, Director General Budget M.S. Malik, Director General Expenditure Sajad Hussain and the Deputy Commissioners of Srinagar, Ganderbal and Bandipora with participants joining the meeting either personally or virtually through video conference.
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