Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced on Thursday that a new Assembly building will be constructed soon, alongside the development of courts equipped for virtual hearings.
Addressing key concerns during the ongoing Budget Session 2025, he emphasised the need to revise MLA salaries, unchanged since 2015, and proposed forming a committee comprising the Leader of Opposition (LOP), Congress, and PDP to align salary revisions with parliamentary norms every five years.
“Officers now have salaries of Rs 3 lakh, while we are stuck in 2015. It’s not right,” Abdullah said, adding that guidelines for the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) under MPLADs should also be updated.
On the issue of power amnesty, the Chief Minister declared that the current amnesty scheme would continue only for this year, with no further extensions.
“Giving amnesty, again and again, is not good,” he remarked, citing an example: “I, Omar Abdullah, and LOP Sunil Sharma are neighbours. Sunil ji pays his power bill on time, I don’t. When amnesty comes, my bill is waived, and Sunil ji says, ‘What is happening? Why am I paying?’ So, this is the last time I will give amnesty on power bills, not in the future.”
Abdullah also stressed the importance of preserving land amid growing population pressure, warning, “Our future is tied with our land; if we don’t have land, we will be nothing, but slowly this is in danger. With the increase in population, there is pressure on land, agricultural land has been converted to other purposes this will lead to our more dependence on others.”
He noted that agricultural land is increasingly being converted for other uses, risking greater dependence on external resources.
Defending the Roshni scheme, he said, “Muzaffar Khan MLA had said Roshni was a good scheme; its purpose was to give leaseholders land rights. Ghulam Nabi Azad changed the time frame. We have to bring the Roshni scheme back.”
The Chief Minister further outlined plans to repair Jagti township and restore cultural heritage, announcing, “33 heritage sites will be restored with an allocation of 65 crore.”
He expressed concern over the stalled Mubarak Mandi project, vowing to expedite its completion within the next three years.
Abdullah also highlighted the diminished role of the planning department, stating, “Planning department has no such responsibility as earlier. We have to review this.”
Addressing state guest infrastructure, he said, “Hospitality and Protocol structures in Delhi, Mumbai, and Chandigarh have gone. In Sector 17 of Chandigarh, a state guest facility will be made. At Prithviraj Road, we will also make one.”
He appealed for assistance in reclaiming the original Kashmir House at Rajaji Marg in the national capital, currently under the control of Indian Army, adding, “This is the identity of J&K. Kindly help us in vacating that so we can make a Kashmir House.” (ANI)
