SRINAGAR — Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday criticised Kashmiri Pandit employees who protested in Srinagar over transit accommodation, saying no Kashmiri Pandit was homeless or without accommodation in Kashmir.
Speaking to reporters, Omar said all transit accommodation constructed by the government in the Valley was meant for Kashmiri Pandit employees and rejected claims that the community had no accommodation in Kashmir.
“If there are a few people who do not have accommodation, they can approach me,” Omar said.
His remarks came a day after Kashmiri Pandit employees appointed under the Prime Minister’s Package staged a protest at Press Colony in Srinagar, demanding early allotment of transit accommodation and a permanent solution to their housing concerns.
The protesting employees said they had been waiting for government accommodation and were dependent on rented houses. They set September 30 as a deadline for the administration, warning that they would launch an indefinite protest and hunger strike if their demands were not addressed.
Some protesters specifically sought allotment of completed transit accommodation. A report on the protest quoted employees as saying that 26 buildings had been completed and should be allotted to eligible employees.
The government has been constructing transit accommodation for Kashmiri migrant employees under a programme envisaging 6,000 flats in the Valley.
At a review meeting in March, the administration had said 4,128 flats had been completed, while the remaining 1,872 were to be completed in phases.
Omar, however, rejected the broader claim that Kashmiri Pandits were without accommodation in Kashmir and said employees facing individual accommodation problems could approach him directly.
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