Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday addressed the media and said that 70 people are still missing following the devastating cloudburst in Kishtwar.
Addressing the media, he stressed that the government’s top priority is to retrieve as many bodies as possible to enable families to perform last rites, while also ensuring relief and rehabilitation for the affected.
The statement comes days after a cloudburst claimed over 63 lives in Kishtwar district and seven lives in Kathua district last week.
Abdullah announced the formation of a team of experts to identify vulnerable areas in Jammu and Kashmir in order to mitigate risks from similar natural calamities in the future.
He also urged political parties not to distort history for their own agendas, stressing that students should learn factual history.
Responding to a question on proposed changes to NCERT history books, the Chief Minister said it is wrong for politicians to rewrite history. “No government lasts forever. If the present government changes tomorrow, what will happen if the next regime starts writing against the RSS? It is better to keep history separate from politics,” he remarked.
Abdullah dismissed the opposition’s criticism of his party’s ongoing signature campaign for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, terming it baseless. “The opposition’s role is to oppose, while our role is to act,” he said.
On the upcoming Vice President elections, Abdullah expressed confusion over why the polls had been necessitated. He questioned why former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar had resigned and where he had “vanished.” He added, “Now that the polls are to be held, I believe the UPA candidate should win the Vice President election.”
The Chief Minister also distributed appointment orders under SRO-43 to beneficiaries at SKICC Srinagar, extending support to families who lost their breadwinners while in government service. He reiterated his government’s commitment to relief and rehabilitation for the affected families.