JAMMU, Dec 2: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said that while the Government has begun constructing both community and individual bunkers in the border belt of Poonch and Rajouri, the foremost priority remains to ensure that peace holds along the Line of Control. Speaking briefly to reporters during his visit to the twin border districts, the Chief Minister underlined that infrastructure preparedness is important, but preventing escalation and maintaining a stable environment for civilians is even more critical.
He noted that the demand for bunkers surged again after heavy Pakistani shelling in the region earlier this year, following Operation Sindoor—an offensive carried out by Indian forces from May 7 to 10 targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Nearly 20 civilians lost their lives in retaliatory firing across several forward villages, several others were injured, and homes suffered significant damage, renewing public calls for protective housing.
Travelling to Poonch via the Mughal Road before continuing onward to Rajouri and Jammu, Omar Abdullah acknowledged widespread complaints about the deteriorating condition of roads in the Pir Panjal region. He clarified that the rough road conditions are a result of ongoing development works, not administrative neglect. “The roads are in poor shape because construction is actively underway,” he said. “Widening projects, four-laning and tunnel works are in progress. Wherever tunnel excavation is going on, the existing roads must still be maintained.”
The Chief Minister said he had personally reviewed the road situation during his journey from Srinagar through Bafliaz and Poonch earlier in the day. He assured that he would raise the matter with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, since many of these stretches fall under the Border Roads Organisation.
Omar Abdullah also used the opportunity to firmly defend merit-based admissions at the Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) amid growing controversy surrounding seat allocation. Responding to demands for religion-based admissions, he reiterated that such categorisation is unconstitutional. “If admission distribution is to be done on the basis of religion, then the institution must stop accepting government grants and free land,” he said. “Only then can the University rules be changed. Otherwise, admissions will continue to be governed by NEET, whose sole criterion is merit.”
He added that students who qualified through NEET should not be penalized because of their religion. “Neither the Constitution, nor the law, nor the University policy allows denial of admission on such grounds,” he said, calling current attempts to seek segregation both unjustified and unlawful.
When asked about the demolition of a journalist’s house near Jammu, Omar Abdullah distanced himself from the episode, saying it does not fall under the purview of the elected government. “I have already said in Srinagar that this is not in our hands. Those who appointed the officer and those who ordered such action should be questioned,” he remarked.