CM Omar Abdullah promises equitable development

Poonch, Nov 21: In alignment with his vow to provide people-centric governance, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Thursday reached border district Poonch along with his entire administrative paraphernalia to review the status of development works and get a first-hand appraisal of people’s issues.

During his maiden visit to the district since assuming office, the Chief Minister identified areas requiring immediate focus and asked the officers to speed up works while strictly adhering to deadlines to provide reprieve to people.

“This visit was aimed at assessing the ground situation after polls,” CM Omar told the media persons after concluding his visit.

He said that the development scenario and overall situation were reviewed during this meeting where officers briefed him on all aspects.

“Political representatives including legislators and representatives of the District Development Council including the Chairperson also shared their inputs. Besides we interacted with officers on varied issues and their accountability was fixed in alignment with people’s aspirations. Some necessary directions have also been issued at the site and some directions will be issued from Jammu,” the Chief Minister said.

In fact, this was his first such visit to Jammu region. Earlier after assuming office, he had conducted a high-level review of development works in Ganderbal, his constituency, in Kashmir region on November 9.

The review meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary; Cabinet Ministers Sakeena Masood, Javed Ahmad Rana, Javid Ahmad Dar and Satish Sharma, along with Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani; Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo; Administrative Secretaries, District Development Council Chairperson, Members of the Legislative Assembly from Poonch district, Deputy Commissioner Poonch, top civil and police officers, and departmental heads.

Omar emphasized the importance of completing ongoing projects within stipulated timelines while adhering to the highest quality standards to ensure maximum benefit for the public.

Reaffirming the government’s commitment to equitable development, the Chief Minister stated, “This is the people’s elected government, and we must maintain close contact with the public. Today, I met around 24 delegations from different areas of Poonch district, reviewed developmental works, identified areas requiring improvement, and issued necessary directions to address key issues.”

CM Omar further highlighted the importance of inputs from elected representatives, including Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and District Development Council (DDC) members.

Earlier at the outset, Deputy Commissioner Poonch delivered a detailed presentation on the progress of CAPEX projects and the achievements of various departments.

During the meeting, MLA Haveli Ajaz Jan and MLA Surankote Chowdhary Akram raised pressing issues, including road connectivity, healthcare, education and power infrastructure.

Prominent delegations, including representatives from Beopar Mandal, religious leaders of all communities, civil society organizations, the ex-servicemen association, bar associations, social workers and sports persons also met the Chief Minister, presenting their demands and concerns.

Omar assured the delegations of timely redressal of their genuine demands, emphasizing the government’s resolve to address public grievances effectively.

As part of his visit, the Chief Minister also inaugurated several completed projects in virtual mode of various departments, including PWD, School Education, Animal Husbandry and Jal Jeevan Mission.

Responding to media queries about some exit poll results vis-a-vis Maharashtra and Jharkhand polls, he suggested news channels not waste money on exit polls.

“Don’t believe them. Exit polls predicted different results for us and Haryana. Things proved to be different,” the CM said.