SRINAGAR: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday chaired a high-level meeting at the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar, calling for visible progress in governance, public service delivery, and development over the next six months. The meeting marked the formal resumption of work by the Jammu and Kashmir government’s top leadership in the summer capital after a six-month term in Jammu.
Abdullah stressed the importance of extending administrative efforts beyond government offices. “Governance must not remain confined to the Civil Secretariat alone,” he said, adding that departments should focus on executing projects on the ground and easing the difficulties faced by people.
Referring to the budget passed in the Legislative Assembly in March, the Chief Minister said that implementation was the government’s primary responsibility. “We will implement the budget decisions and conduct review meetings with concerned departments and agencies,” he said, underlining the need to utilise budgetary allocations and execute the District Capex plan during the limited working season, especially in the winter zone.
The Chief Minister said a detailed review would be conducted with the Chief Secretary, Finance Secretary, and departmental heads to address bottlenecks in project execution. He directed departments — including Power, Roads and Buildings (R&B), Public Health Engineering (PHE), Health, and Social Welfare — to speed up their work.
Abdullah also briefed officials on his recent meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that the Union government is committed to ensuring that recent security incidents, including the Pahalgam attack, do not affect governance and development in Jammu and Kashmir. He urged officers to ensure a smooth Amarnath Yatra and support the tourism sector, which he said has been affected by recent events.
On the Kashmir rail project, Abdullah expressed hope that the inauguration of the bridge and rail link, postponed earlier due to bad weather, would take place soon.
Reaffirming the administration’s responsibility to the public, Abdullah said: “The people have put us here to deliver on their expectations. That is our only aim.”
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary, Ministers Sakeena Itoo, Javed Ahmed Rana, Javed Ahmed Dar, and Satish Sharma were present in the meeting. Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta, all administrative secretaries, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir, and other senior officers also attended.
Earlier, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo welcomed the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers at the Civil Secretariat and said that all arrangements had been made for the smooth functioning of offices in Srinagar.
