Srinagar

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday chaired a meeting to review the arrangements for Ramzan, which commences on Sunday. 

The Chief Minister emphasised that people rightfully expect their elected government to take all necessary measures to ensure they do not face any inconvenience during this sacred month.

CM Abdullah said: "As the holy month of Ramzan begins tomorrow, the people rightfully expect the government to take all necessary measures to ensure they do not face any difficulties."

He stressed that key departments under pressure must deliver service - particularly the power supply - which must be prioritised.

"People want, and we must strive, to ensure that there are no power outages during Sehri and Iftar time. Any necessary shutdowns should be well-planned and curtailment could be made during the daytime as per a proper schedule. The maintenance works, wherever required, be also taken up during the day time," CM Abdullah instructed.

He directed officials to immediately address system issues or faulty distribution transformers (DTs) to avoid disruptions.

On water supply, CM said that the recent spell of snow and rainfall had helped improve the situation but stressed the need for the supply of adequate potable water to households.

"By the grace of Allah, the recent rainfall over the past few days has been beneficial in this regard," he said.

The Chief Minister also directed officials to focus on cleanliness, particularly around mosques, and shrines, traffic management, and making security arrangements.

To enhance public service delivery, he directed all Deputy Commissioners to set up fully staffed and operational district control rooms to promptly address grievances.

"Our collective effort should be to ensure a smooth and hassle-free Ramzan for the people. It is our responsibility to put all necessary arrangements in place," he stated.

The meeting was attended by Advisor to the CM Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary Education Shantamanu, Additional Chief Secretary Jal Shakti Shaleen Kabra, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta, all Administrative Secretaries, Divisional Commissioners of Kashmir and Jammu, Inspector General of Police Kashmir and Jammu, Deputy Commissioners, Commissioner JMC, MDs of KPDCL/JPDCL, and heads of key departments and Joint Director SMC.

The meeting was conducted both in person and through virtual mode.

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Earlier, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Vijay Bidhuri, presented a detailed report on the arrangements for the holy month.

The meeting was informed about the electricity demand during peak hours, particularly at Sehri and Iftari, water supply, sanitation around religious and significant public places, ration distribution for March, traffic deployment plans, police security arrangements, food safety and joint market inspections.