KNS Desk
Pulwama, Sep 16 (KNS): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday advised leaders from Ladakh and Kargil not to rely on verbal assurances from the Centre, saying they should seek any commitment in writing and with a signature before placing their trust in it.
Omar made the remarks while speaking to reporters after reviewing development works in Pulwama, referring to the Centre’s assurance on restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
“As a friend and elder brother, I would advise the leaders of Ladakh that they should not trust any promise made by the Central Government until it is given to them in writing and signed,” he said.
Drawing a parallel with Jammu and Kashmir, Omar said the people of J&K had also been given a verbal assurance that statehood would be restored after elections.
“We were also victims of a verbal promise. We were told that statehood would be restored immediately after the elections. Nearly two years have passed, and that promise is nowhere to be seen,” he said.
Omar advised leaders from Ladakh and Kargil to seek a written assurance from the Centre, preferably in the form of an affidavit, before relying on its commitments.
He also said the issues concerning Ladakh were different from those faced by Jammu and Kashmir, but maintained that any assurances given to the region should be formally recorded.
The remarks came as the Centre faces demands from different groups in Ladakh over constitutional safeguards, statehood and other issues concerning the region.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
Meanwhile, reviewing development works in Pulwama, Omar said the administration needed to accelerate spending during the remaining two to three months of the working season.
“I just want to say that in the remaining two-three months of the work season, we need to push a little more and use as much money as we can. After that, if we do reallocation, if we use all our budget, then I can arrange for more money,” he said.
Omar said the four MLAs from the district had placed various demands before the government, with some decisions having been taken locally and others requiring decisions at a higher level.
He said development work was underway in almost every constituency of the district.
According to the Chief Minister, projects worth around *Rs 100 crore* had either been inaugurated or had their foundation stones laid in Pulwama on Wednesday.
The works, he said, covered several sectors, including roads, schools, hospitals, bridges and agriculture-related infrastructure.
“Around 100 crore projects in Pulwama have either been inaugurated or their foundations have been laid. There is road work, school work, hospital work, some pools are being built, a dairy processing village is being prepared,” Omar said.
He said the government was now seeing the progress of these works at the ground level across the district.
“The work is being seen on the land level,” he said.(KNS)