Jammu, Feb 10 : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday categorically stated that the ropeway project for the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine was approved by the Lieutenant Governor in 2024, and not by the state cabinet or the Administrative Council.
Setting the record straight in the Legislative Assembly, the Chief Minister as per news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) said he had personally scrutinized the official records on the matter.
“One member had said that the cabinet had approved the ropeway project. I checked the records and found that the cabinet did not approve it. It is also not a decision of the Administrative Council,” Omar Abdullah clarified.
Emphasizing the LG’s role, the Chief Minister informed the House, “The project was approved by the Lieutenant Governor in September 2024, before the formation of the elected government.”
He asserted that the House and the public were being misled on the issue, adding, “In an emotional moment, the member had yesterday threatened to resign.”
The Chief Minister’s statement comes a day after BJP MLA from Mata Vaishno Devi constituency, Baldev Raj Sharma, claimed in the Assembly that the cabinet had approved the project and threatened to resign if his assertion was proven wrong. (KNS)
