Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Oct 07 : Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said a decision on the expansion of his Council of Ministers would likely be taken after his return from Delhi and consultations with National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function in Srinagar, Omar, as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said the government would take a call on the expansion after the GST Council meeting and consultations with the party president.
On recent administrative changes, he said some transfers had been ordered by the elected government while others were carried out by the Lieutenant Governor, adding that the government would work with the officers posted in various departments.
Regarding the pending recruitment rules for Government Medical Colleges (GMCs), the Chief Minister said the rules were almost ready and being given final shape.
“There were some contradictions between the rules that had been framed and those proposed. These contradictions are being removed,” he said, adding that the government did not want to rush the process and face difficulties during implementation.
He said the recruitment rules were expected to be notified soon.
On sports infrastructure, he said the government was simultaneously expanding facilities and appointing coaches to provide better training opportunities to young athletes across Jammu and Kashmir.
He said an Olympic-size swimming pool had been established in Kashmir, with arrangements being made for solar-powered heating to facilitate year-round training.
He also said an indoor gymnastics hall had been inaugurated, noting that children in Kashmir had shown interest in gymnastics but lacked adequate infrastructure.
“We are trying to move beyond traditional sports such as cricket, football, hockey and volleyball and provide our children with more options and alternatives,” he said.
On Prime Minister Narendra Modi completing 25 years in public life, Omar said it was not easy to win elections continuously for such a long period.
“I congratulate him on behalf of myself and my colleagues,” he said.
On protests related to the Chief Election Commissioner, Omar questioned the government’s failure to initiate defamation proceedings against The Indian Express if its reporting was fabricated.
“If it had not been correct, the government would have taken action against them, at least filed a defamation case,” he said.
He said the ongoing protests were part of the programme announced by INDIA bloc leaders following their recent meeting in Delhi.
On the proposed Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Jammu and Kashmir, Omar said the exercise could be used to interfere with elections.
Referring to the earlier delimitation exercise, he alleged that its purpose was to benefit the BJP.
“We have already been victims of such interference. We have not yet forgotten the delimitation,” he said.
Omar also expressed hope that the proceedings underway in the Supreme Court, particularly concerning Form 6, would make it more difficult to exclude people from the electoral rolls.—(KNO)
