Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who is in Delhi on her first visit after taking over the reins of the state, dismissed the possibility of shifting National Institute of Technology (NIT) out of the valley.
The 56-year-old Mehbooba, who assumed charge of the PDP-BJP government on April 4, called on Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, in a meeting she described as a “courtesy call”.
Emerging from the 45-minute meeting with Singh, Mehbooba said:
It is a courtesy call on the Home Minister after I took over as the Chief Minister.Mehbooba Mufti
During the meeting, the two sides are believed to have discussed the present turmoil in the state due to clashes between outstation students and police besides law and order situation arising out of militancy.
Sources in the ministry said the Home Minister told Mehbooba that normalcy should be restored at the earliest.
As she was leaving the North Block, journalists asked her questions about the unrest at the NIT in Srinagar and the demand by outstation students to shift the campus to Jammu.
Let me make it clear that it is an issue within the institute and please do not give it a colour of local versus outsiders. The Human Resources Development Ministry is looking into the grievances of the outstation students and I am hopeful that it will be resolved soon. As far as demands of some students to shift the NIT campus out of Srinagar is considered, let me make it clear that it won’t be possible.Mehbooba Mufti
Mufti and Singh also discussed state government proposals which are presently under the consideration of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The issue of Inner Line Permit for foreign tourists for visiting various parts of Ladakh also came up for discussion during the meeting.
On the return of Kashmir Pandits, the Chief Minister said that both the state government and the people of Jammu and Kashmir want Kashmiri Pandits to return to the Valley with dignity and honour as the cultural milieu of Kashmir remains incomplete without them.
Mehbooba also called on Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the evening and discussed various financial aspects of the situation in the State.
(With inputs from PTI)
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