Srinagar, Aug 19: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday asserted that the solution to the Union Territory’s problems lies with the Central Government and not with the United States, ahead of his scheduled meeting with the US Ambassador.
“The solution to our problems will not come from Washington. Our problems have to be resolved by our Central Government, ” CM Omar told reporters here after an early morning inspection of development projects in Srinagar.
The Chief Minister said he was looking forward to the interaction with the US envoy, which is taking place after a considerable gap, but made it clear that he would not approach the Ambassador with complaints about India.
“I would prefer to listen to him more, but he is also coming to listen. Let us see what kind of discussion takes place, ” he said.
CM Omar said he would discuss Jammu and Kashmir and the wider regional situation with the envoy but would neither seek intervention nor ask the Ambassador to resolve the Union Territory’s problems.
“Matters concerning Jammu and Kashmir will have to be dealt with by the Central Government. I will not approach the US Ambassador with complaints about India,” he asserted.
Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister carried out a surprise early morning tour of Srinagar, beginning at 6:30 am and covering nearly 10 to 12 project sites from Downtown to Uptown areas.
“These tours allow us to compare what we are told in the Secretariat with the ground reality,” he said.
He identified shortage of parking space in Downtown as a major challenge and said easing traffic congestion would be a priority. The Chief Minister said further projects would be taken up to meet the major requirements of Srinagar.
Describing the National Conference manifesto as a five-year roadmap, CM Omar said the government had continued to work on its commitments.
“Every point has been touched upon in one way or another, and whatever remains to be done will be completed going forward,” he said.
On infrastructure works, CM said road blacktopping had been affected due to disruption in bitumen supplies earlier this year but the supply had since resumed and work was back on track.
He said round-the-clock electricity was still not possible everywhere but the frequency of power cuts had come down considerably.
Regarding drinking water, he said implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission projects had earlier faced a setback but had now received Union Cabinet approval, with funds beginning to be released.
Meanwhile, Responding to allegations by the BJP regarding corruption in appointments, the Chief Minister said the investigative agencies were not under the control of his government.
“The Police is not under my control. The Crime Branch is not under my control. The ACB is not under my control, ” he said.
He said if there had been corruption, the matter should be investigated, a case registered and those found responsible prosecuted.
On waterlogging in Srinagar, CM Omar described it as a long-standing problem that could not be attributed to the recent past. He said several colonies had come up without adequate drainage systems and the administration was now working to provide drainage infrastructure in such areas.
He said vulnerable locations, or “black spots”, had been identified and additional pumping capacity would be arranged on an emergency basis when the Meteorological Department forecasts heavy rainfall. For a permanent solution, he said the Housing Department was working on drainage projects.
On reported objectionable comments concerning Ayatollah Khomeini in Kargil, Abdullah said there should be no inappropriate remarks against religious figures and called for respect for religious sentiments.
“If someone has made such remarks that have hurt the sentiments of people in Kargil, or of the Shia community across the world, then such a thing should not have happened. The police should take whatever action is required,” he said.
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