Lauds Centre’s efforts to bring back students from Iran
Jammu, Jun 19: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday reviewed the delivery of essential services and supplies for the ongoing Summer season, and expressed satisfaction with steps taken by the administration for a comfortable annual Amarnath Yatra beginning July 3.
Omar also inaugurated the newly constructed college complex of Government Degree College (GDC) Purmandal in Samba district.
The 38-day-long Yatra is scheduled to start from the twin routes — the traditional 48-kilometre Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14-kilometre shorter but steeper Baltal route in Ganderbal district — to the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine of Amarnath. The first batch of pilgrims will leave for Kashmir from Bhagwati Nagar a day before the start of the Yatra.
“I reviewed the situation concerning hot weather conditions in Jammu. All officers, including the divisional commissioner, were present. I asked about the arrangements for Muharram and the Amarnath Yatra. I am satisfied with the steps taken in this direction,” Abdullah told reporters in Samba.
He further said, “Now we are waiting for pilgrims so that their Yatra is comfortable.”
Officials apprised the chief minister of the ongoing preparations for the Amarnath Yatra, with detailed arrangements from Lakhanpur — the gateway to J-K — to Lambar at Banihal in Ramban.
He was informed about the RFID, registration centres, lodgement centres, langar facilities and other key preparations made by the administration for the smooth conduct of the Amarnath Yatra.
The chief minister asked the concerned officials to provide wide publicity to the cut-off timings for travel on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, which will be the same for pilgrims and tourists during the Amarnath Yatra period.
Abdullah chaired a high-level meeting in Jammu to review the delivery of essential services and supplies, and the steps taken by the administration during the current summer season in the Jammu division.
During the meeting, Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar briefed the chief minister and gave a presentation on the functioning of different line departments and their action plan for summer preparedness, an official spokesperson said.
It was informed that the Jammu Power Development Corporation Limited has maintained a sufficient buffer stock of transformers and has also devised time-slots for power curtailment to prevent overload on grid stations.
He emphasised adherence to the curtailment schedule of the Power Development Department (PDD), with minimum power outages and prevention of overheating of power lines and transformers.
The functioning of the Jal Shakti Department and Jammu Municipal Corporation was also discussed with regard to the adequate supply of water tankers, water sprinklers, anti-smog guns and proper maintenance of water coolers to provide relief to citizens.
Taking cognisance of the water scarcity issues in some newly populated areas, the chief minister directed the commissioner of Jammu Municipal Corporation and the Jal Shakti Department to provide immediate relief to residents through water tanker services.
He further directed the expediting of work on water supply schemes nearing completion to alleviate water supply issues in areas facing shortages.
Abdullah also reviewed the forest fire response mechanism of the Forest Department and the readiness of Fire and Emergency Services to tackle any such situation.
He was apprised of the preparedness of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department regarding the desilting of irrigation canals, the flood mitigation plan and the setting up of 24×7 control rooms for the upcoming monsoon season.
Meanwhile, noting that there are 1,300 to 1,400 students from the Union Territory in Iran, while 6,000 to 8,000 people belong to the entire country, Chief Minister Abdullah on Thursday appreciated the efforts of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in bringing back the students from the war-torn country and said they are being evacuated under a plan as ports and airports are closed.
“This is our responsibility. Our children had gone there to pursue education. The situation deteriorated, and naturally, their parents were worried. If I were in their place, I would have been worried too. The students themselves wanted to leave from there,” Abdullah told reporters after inaugurating the newly constructed college complex of Government Degree College (GDC) Purmandal in Samba district.
He further said a few days ago, he spoke with Jaishankar and a plan was created. “Under that plan, these children are now being brought back. No airports there are open. Every port is closed. So, the plan is to evacuate them overland via Armenia,” he said.
Abdullah assured that all the students would be brought back and added, “Yesterday, we brought back around 90 students and today about 300–400 more are being evacuated. We will get them out quickly. About 1,300 to 1,400 students are from Jammu and Kashmir, and overall, between 6,000 to 8,000 are from the entire country.”
Replying to a question on the post-Pahalgam situation, he said the situation is not the same as it was a month ago. “I want to thank the tourists who have started coming to Jammu and Kashmir. The number of pilgrims to Mata Vaishno Devi, which had declined, is also gradually increasing.
“Over 40,000 pilgrims are coming daily to visit Mata Vaishno Devi. The number of tourists in Kashmir is also rising significantly,” the chief minister said.
He further said although the main tourist season of May and June may have passed, efforts will be made to ensure that the upcoming season sees a healthy flow of tourists.
Earlier in his address, the Chief Minister described the occasion as a proud and fortunate moment, marking a significant milestone for higher education in the region.
“We want Jammu region to evolve into a hub for tourism—especially religious tourism—which will transform the lives of local communities,” he said.
He also assured that demands related to road development in the area would be prioritized.
“I will not consider my mission fulfilled until the day students from outside J&K come here to pursue their education. Today, many of our students are compelled to study outside the state, and during global crises, they face great difficulties,” he said.
On the occasion, the CM also handed over keys of five buses—donated by J&K Bank under its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative—to five Government Degree Colleges in Jammu division.
Commending J&K bank for the initiative, he said J&K Bank plays a vital role in J&K’s economy, and he is glad it’s also supporting educational infrastructure—initiatives like these will surely benefit students.
