Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today met a delegation of mutton dealers from Jammu and Kashmir who apprised him of the difficulties they have been facing in transporting livestock through Punjab, an issue that has impacted the smooth supply of livestock into J&K.
Minister for Tribal Affairs Javed Ahmed Rana and Minister for Transport and Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Satish Sharma were also present during the meeting. The delegation highlighted the challenges encountered during transit and sought the Chief Minister’s intervention to ensure the unhindered movement of livestock.
Giving a patient hearing to their concerns, the Chief Minister assured the delegation that the Government of Jammu and Kashmir is fully committed to resolving the issue and safeguarding the interests of traders, livestock transporters and consumers.
He informed the delegation that a high-level team of senior officers from the Government of Jammu and Kashmir will shortly visit Punjab to hold discussions with the concerned authorities and work towards an early, practical and mutually agreeable resolution to all issues affecting the transportation of livestock.
The Chief Minister’s intervention follows his earlier outreach to Chief Minister Punjab Bhagwant Mann, to whom he had written a D.O. letter urging the Punjab Government to facilitate the smooth and uninterrupted movement of livestock and address the difficulties faced by transporters from Jammu and Kashmir during transit.
Responding promptly, the Punjab Chief Minister had assured that the matter would be examined on priority and necessary action would be taken to resolve the concerns. The proposed visit of the high-level delegation forms part of the follow-up mechanism initiated by the two governments to ensure effective coordination and an early resolution of the issue.