Omar questions foundation stone laying ceremony by Smriti Irani

Srinagar, Oct 18: Raising questions over the foundation stone laying ceremony of Central University Kashmir to be carried out by Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani on Tuesday, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said it had already been done by previous HRD Minister M M Pallam Raju.

"I believe HRD Minister is laying the Foundation Stone for the Central University Kashmir. Strange, @Pallamrajumm and I did that some time ago," Omar tweeted.

Pallam Raju and Omar had laid the foundation stone of the university at Ganderbal on May 28, 2013. According to an invitation extended to mediapersons by the Central University Kashmir, Irani will lay the foundation stone of the varsity's main campus at Ganderbal on Tuesday.

"The executing agency has changed from CPWD to NBCC and that's the justification for a new foundation stone being laid!" Omar added.

Opposition Congress had lambasted the PDP-BJP government for taking credit for projects started by National Conference- Congress coalition government.

The incident comes two days after Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had laid the foundation stone of a multi-level parking lot barely a few feet away from the one laid by Omar last year.

Two plaques of the two foundation stones of the same project stand hardly at a distance of 15 feet from each other at General Bus stand in Jammu.

"The previous government had already tied the funding for various projects in the state from the previous UPA government at the Centre," former Minister for Urban Development and Leader of Congress Legislative Party Nawang Rigzin Jora said.

"Before elections last year, 40 foundation stones were laid, maps and projects completed and the funding for the projects was also tied up. However, due to elections in the state, work on some projects could not be started," Jora said.

However, BJP state president and MP Jugal Kishore Sharma refuted the allegation and justified Friday's event by accusing the previous government of "doing nothing except laying foundation stones".

PTI