New Delhi fails to restore 300-meter highway stretch in 20 days: Omar
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed strong displeasure over the Indian government’s failure to restore a 300-metre-long stretch of the Srinagar-Jammu highway, closed for more than two weeks due to landslides in Udhampur district.
According to Kashmir Media Service, speaking to reporters, Omar Abdullah said the delay had badly hit fruit growers who were unable to transport their produce. “If the highway were under the control of the elected government, it would have been restored by now. We have engineers ready to take up the work. Enough is enough. Every day the Centre kept saying the road would be cleared, but nothing happened,” he said.
The Chief Minister announced that he would write to Indian Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, urging him to hand over the highway’s maintenance to the elected government so it could be restored immediately. He added that fruit-laden trucks must be allowed to move without further delay.
Omar also appealed to the Railway Minister to make parcel trains a regular service until the highway is reopened. “One ceremonial train is not enough. It should run daily to help fruit growers and traders,” he said.
Later in the evening, the CM posted on his official X handle about his discussion with Nitin Gadkari. He said fruit growers’ frustration was “understandable” as their produce was rotting due to NHIDCL’s failure to stabilise the highway, and hinted that the Centre had promised “concrete steps within 24 hours.”
“We will continue our fight for statehood. I had hoped the Prime Minister would fulfill his promise on August 15, but that did not happen. I am thankful to Sharad Pawar Sahab and others who have extended support. We will not stop advocating for the restoration of statehood,” the CM affirmed.
