Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday urged Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to run special trains between Kashmir and other parts of the country to transport essential supplies to the valley and carry fruits to terminal markets.
The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway has remained closed due to continuous rains and landslides, leaving hundreds of trucks carrying horticultural produce stranded.
“Our railway tracks are operational. I will request the Rail Minister to run two to four special trains to bring essential supplies to Kashmir and take out fruits. This will provide some relief to the people,” Abdullah told reporters outside his office.
He highlighted the extensive losses suffered by Jammu and Kashmir due to the floods and their aftermath, expressing hope that the Centre would provide adequate compensation.
“Lives have been lost in Kishtwar, residential houses and shops have been damaged, and government infrastructure has also suffered. While the fruit itself wasn’t damaged by the rains, it is rotting in trucks due to the highway closure,” he said.
Abdullah added that an inter-ministerial central team had visited Jammu and Kashmir to assess the losses, following Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit for a first-hand evaluation of the devastating flood situation.
“The Home Minister spent an entire day here. It’s not as if no one came. We expect appropriate compensation for the losses caused by the floods,” he said.
On the detention of AAP MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA), Abdullah called it “unnecessary.”
“Now, what did he do to deserve a PSA? I fail to understand the reason for invoking such a stringent law. Was there a law and order problem? Was there any stone-pelting? If the MLA had erred, it could have been addressed in the Assembly under the Speaker’s supervision. Invoking the PSA undermines public trust in democracy,” he said.
Abdullah also criticized the Lieutenant Governor’s administration for previous missteps, including the detention of leaders on July 13 and the alleged manhandling of him by police on July 14 during his visit to the Martyrs’ graveyard to pay tributes to those killed by forces of Maharaja Hari Singh in 1931.
“Meanwhile, no action has been taken against those who have stirred unrest by playing with our religious sentiments. Innocent people continue to face harassment and are being summoned to police stations,” he added.
