Normalcy not fully restored in J&K: CM Omar

Srinagar, Jan 3: Normalcy has not been fully restored in Jammu and Kashmir yet as terror attacks continue to take place but the process for establishing peace is underway, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Friday.

Abdullah’s remarks came a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Article 370 had sowed the seeds of separatism in the minds of Kashmir’s youth and that the Narendra Modi government not only ended terrorism in Kashmir but also the terror ecosystem.

“I do not want to say anything on that (Shah's statement). (But), today also, reports come from some places when attacks take place. Normalcy has not been fully restored in J&K even today. It is a process and we will have to see what happens in the coming days," Abdullah told reporters.

The CM also trashed rumours that J&K’s name was being changed to “Kashyap”.

“There is nothing like that. Some media house ran it but then corrected it. No such proposal is there and it anyways cannot happen without the consent of the J&K government,” he said.

Asked about the government’s preparations in view of the forecast of snowfall, Abdullah said the administration was ready to deal with it.

“We will deal with it. We are prepared, we have had several meetings and we also have experience after the last snowfall. If there were any lacunae last time, we will correct that this time,” he said.

To a question about the electricity supply situation in Kashmir, the CM said whatever could be done was being done and the power situation this year was better than the previous years.

“(Power) cuts are taking place but attempts are being made to provide electricity to people according to the schedule. When there is a problem in the system, it is rectified at the earliest," he said.