Srinagar, Feb 17: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday thanked Union Home Minister Amit Shah for ordering the reopening of 14 tourist destinations in Jammu and Kashmir that had been closed following last year’s Pahalgam terror attack.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here, the Chief Minister said he had taken up the matter of reopening the tourist spots with the Home Minister during recent meetings in Jammu and New Delhi.
“My request with regard to tourism was that the areas which have been closed should be reopened. There is no purpose served by keeping these destinations closed. We did not close these places even at the worst of times,” Abdullah said.
He said the Home Minister had assured him that the destinations would be reopened and orders have now been issued accordingly.
“I am thankful to the home minister for that. The local people have borne losses due to closure. Now, I hope people will visit these beautiful places,” he added.
On Monday, the Lieutenant Governor ordered the reopening of 11 tourist destinations in Kashmir and three in the Jammu region. These were among around 80 locations shut for visitors after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 last year that left 26 persons, mostly tourists, dead.
Responding to controversial remarks by BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa, the Chief Minister said “the truth has prevailed”, alleging that a case had been filed against Randhawa for occupying government land.
He further alleged a gap between the words and actions of BJP leaders, referring to Rajya Sabha MP Ghulam Ali Khatana.
“They talk about Jammu and Kashmir and nominated a person to the Rajya Sabha from here. He spent 90 per cent of his MPLAD funds in Uttar Pradesh. He lives and works here but when it comes to CDF, he spends 90 per cent of it in UP,” Abdullah alleged.
On preparations for the upcoming month of Ramzan, the Chief Minister said he would soon chair a meeting to review arrangements, particularly regarding electricity supply.
“We will make all efforts to ensure that people face the least amount of difficulty during the holy fasting month,” he said.
Addressing protests by daily wagers demanding regularisation, Abdullah urged them to avoid street demonstrations, stating that the government has already committed on the floor of the Assembly to regularise them within this year through a time-bound process.
“It has been said on the floor of the Assembly that they will be regularised through a process under a timetable. If somebody is provoking them for political benefits, they should not become tools in their hands,” he said.
“If they have something to say, they should come and tell me. These street protests are not good for them or their future. We have said they will be regularised this year in a time-bound manner,” the Chief Minister added.
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