Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 26: Governor NN Vohra and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah briefed President Pranab Mukherjee in separate one-to-one meetings with him soon after his arrival in Srinagar on a three days visit of the State this evening. Overall security scenario of Jammu and Kashmir came up for a high level review in the two meetings.
Mr Vohra later hosted banquet for the President at Raj Bhawan in which about 160 top dignitaries including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, Ministers, legislators and top officers of Army, para-military forces and police and civil administration were present.
Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was in Srinagar today, also joined the dinner at Raj Bhawan with the President.
Mr Mukherjee, who was on his first visit to the State after being elected as President in July this year, reached Srinagar Airport at 4.45 pm. The Governor, the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister, Council of Ministers and top officers besides Air Commodor D Choudhury, Air Officer Commanding, Air Force Station, Srinagar, received him at the Airport.
He was flown to Nehru helipad in a helicopter from where he drove to Raj Bhawan.
The President would attend convocation of Kashmir University from 11 am to 1 pm tomorrow. The convocation would be held at auditorium of the University. He would have motor boat ride in Dal lake from 4 pm to 5 pm during which he would also be briefed on Dal cleaning operations.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah would host dinner for the President at Sher-I-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar tomorrow, which would also be attended by the Ministers, legislators and other top brass.
Pranab was also scheduled to meet Intellectuals at Raj Bhawan at 6 pm tomorrow after the motor boat ride. He would inter-act with the Intellectuals and elicit their opinion on security scenario of Jammu and Kashmir and other aspects of the situation. His meeting with the Intellectuals was expected to last about an hour.
The President would return to New Delhi at 10 am on September 28.
Official sources told the Excelsior that tight security arrangements have been made for three days visit of the President. Para-military and police personnel besides the Intelligence sleuths have surrounded all major venues the President was scheduled to visit during his stay in the Kashmir Valley.
IGP Security, J&K, Sunil Sharma has been supervising security arrangements for the President’s visit along with other senior officers.
Sources said the Governor and the Chief Minister gave a detailed review of security scenario and other aspects of the situation prevailing in the State to the President during their separate one-to-one meetings. While the meeting between the President and the Governor lasted from 7 pm to 7.30 pm, Pranab and Omar met for next half an hour before the banquet hosted by the Governor at 8 pm.
The President, who happened to be Supreme Commander of 3 Services, got details of situation prevailing on the borders with Pakistan and China in Jammu and Kashmir and internal areas. Situation on militancy front in the State especially in the Kashmir Valley, also figured in the two meetings.
Mr Vohra and Mr Abdullah were understood to have given detailed review of situation in Jammu and Kashmir including the areas bordering Pakistan and China to the President. They reportedly told Mr Mukherjee that militancy was on wane but “some quarters” continued to make efforts to sustain it.
The Chief Minister also apprised the President about development works undertaken by the State Government and other achievements of National Conference-Congress coalition Government during past over three and a half years.
Mr Mukherjee took keen interest in the situation of the State, sources said.
Omar gave resume of the new initiatives taken by the coalition Government in the State to bring transparency, strengthen the institutions and empower people to ask questions to the Government about its functioning and other matters relating to development. He apprised the President about the steps taken by the Government to empower people and involve them in policy formation and implementation of development projects.
Omar mentioned details of the endeavours of the Government for establishing effective and powerful Panchayat Raj System in the State. He also apprised him of the measures underway to strengthen and empower Panchayats and make them delivering.
The Chief Minister told the President about the enactment and implementation of Public Service Guarantee Act to time-bound the delivery of various public services in the State making Government officials legally responsible for delivery of these services within the prescribed time frame. Omar informed the President about the constitution of State Information Commission and reconstitution of Accountability Commission to make transparency rule the roost.
He told the President that the policy of the Government to reach out all regions, sub-regions and backward pockets of the State equally on development process. He briefed him about the measures put in place by his Government for equitable and inclusive development and the welfare of weaker sections of the society including Scheduled Caste, Schedule Tribe, Gujjars and Bakerwals, Pahari speaking people and other backward classes.
He got briefing from the Governor on growth and development of the State. Mr Vohra, who had recently been appointed by the President as Chancellor of the Central University of Jammu, briefly informed Mr Mukherjee about advancement of Higher Education in the State.
Mr Vohra thanked the President for honouring the University of Kashmir by agreeing to address its 18th convocation tomorrow.
The President also met most of the dignitaries at the dinner hosted by the Raj Bhawan including the Council of Ministers and top officers of security forces, para-military, police and civil administration besides Vice Chancellors and Civil Society members.
Mrs Vohra, Mr Azad, Omar Abdullah, Legislative Council Chairman Amrit Malhotra, Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone, Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, Chief Justice and J&K High Court Justice MM Kumar also joined the dinner.
Pranab had visited Kashmir in July as a part of his campaign for the post of President as UPA candidate when he was pitted against BJP backed nominee PA Sangma, former Lok Sabha Speaker. Pranab had promised to visit the State again after his election as the President.
This was first visit of Mr Mukherjee to the State after being elected as the President.
Vice President Hamid Ansari had recently visited the Kashmir Valley on four days visit during which he had meetings with the Governor and the Chief Minister besides addressing ‘National Science Congress’ at the Kashmir University. This was also Ansari’s first visit to the State after being elected as the Vice President for second term in August this year.
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