Will fulfil promises made to people: Omar
Budget session-related issues discussed as J&K chief minister meets lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha, CM also reviews arrangements for the holy month of Ramadan, which commences on Sunday.
A day after the BJP said it would form a shadow cabinet, J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said there was no need of any shadow cabinet and the government would fulfil the promises it made to the people.
While talking to reporters in Srinagar, Omar said, “In our country, there is no arrangement of any shadow cabinet. The BJP has run its government. Now, let the public government work. There is no need for a shadow cabinet here. We have promised to resolve problems of people and we are going to fulfil all the problems.”
The BJP leadership, after holding a meeting in Jammu on Thursday, said they have formed a group of legislators who would keep watch on the functioning of the various departments in J&K, especially the functioning of departments.
The legislators, who have served as ministers in various departments when the BJP was running a coalition government with the PDP, have been asked to question government about the functioning of departments inside and outside the assembly.
BJP leaders privy to details said that leader of opposition in assembly, Sunil Sharma, has been pivotal in forming the shadow cabinet. “The proposal about shadow cabinet was discussed in workshop of legislators in Katra Jammu. It hasn’t been announced yet but will be made public very soon,” said a senior BJP leader.
In the 90-member house, the BJP has 28 legislators and is the largest party after the National Conference.
Omar meets lieutenant governor
Ahead of the budget session, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah met lieutenant governor (LG) Manoj Sinha at Raj Bhavan in Srinagar. They discussed issues related to budget session which begins in winter capital Jammu on March 3, said a government spokesman. It’s going to be the first budget of elected government after abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of J&K into two union territories (UTs).
Omar also chaired a high-level meeting to review the arrangements made for the holy month of Ramadan, which commences on Sunday. According to the government spokesman, the CM stressed that key departments must deliver service, particularly the power supply, which must be prioritised. “People want, and we must strive, to ensure that there are no power outages during Sehri and Iftar time,” the spokesperson said. The CM directed officials to immediately address system issues or faulty distribution transformers (DTs) to avoid disruptions.
On water supply, the CM said the recent spell of snow and rainfall helped improve the situation but stressed the need for supply of adequate potable water to households.
The CM also directed officials to focus on cleanliness, particularly around mosques, shrines, ensure traffic management and security arrangements.
