J&K CM Mehbooba Mehbooba meets Rajnath Singh, wants secured housing for cops’ kin

Rajnath Singh with Mehbooba Mufti. (File Photo)

Jammu and Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti proposed setting up of a secured housing project for families of state police, who are facing threat from militants, during her meeting with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Thursday.

Implementation of the Prime Minister’s development package (PMDP) of Rs 80,000 crore was also reviewed during the meeting between officials of Home Ministry and the J&K administration, attended by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, State Chief Secretary B B Vyas and DGP S P Vaid. Singh and Mehbooba later had a one-on-one meeting for about 15 minutes.

There has been a series of attacks on policeman and their families in the Valley by militants after security forces stepped up operations. Recently, four militants barged into the residence of a DSP- rank officer in Shopian and threatened the family. The CM had earlier pitched for hike in hardship allowance for J&K police officials, bringing it on a par with that of central paramilitary forces.

Officials who attended the meeting told The Indian Express that Mehbooba highlighted the tardy pace of work by central PSUs responsible for construction of IIT and AIIMS in the state. The two sides discussed the possibility of holding panchayat elections, which have been delayed for more than one-and-a-half years now.

After the meeting, Mehbooba said, “The situation in Jammu and Kashmir has improved as violence has come down a lot.” She added that before appointment of a special representative, home minister Singh had discussed the proposal with her. A home ministry statement released after the meeting said, “It was decided to fast track the projects under PMDP by making encumbrance free land available for the infrastructure projects including road, power and health, etc.”