J&K CM Omar Abdullah calls the US diplomat summoning by Pakistan a bilateral issue. He also announced a Rs 31 crore modern abattoir in Srinagar and said the UT's first film festival aims to create local employment opportunities.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said the summoning of a US diplomat by Islamabad over Ambassador Sergio Gor's remarks on Jammu and Kashmir was an issue between Pakistan and the United States.
On Wednesday, Gor, the US ambassador to India, described Jammu and Kashmir as an "important part of India" after meeting chief minister Abdullah in Srinagar.
"...This is between Pakistan and the US. Neither you nor I can do anything here," Omar Abdullah told reporters.
Srinagar to get modern abattoir
Further, the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister said a modern abattoir project in Srinagar, aimed at ensuring the availability of quality meat, will be completed within two years.
Speaking about the project, he said complaints had been received last year and this year about poor-quality meat being sold at several places.
He said around Rs 31 crore will be spent on the project, which will include a modern abattoir where sheep will be tested to ensure that diseases do not originate there.
"Last year and even this year there were complaints about meat. Poor-quality meat was found being sold at several locations. We had stopped consuming meat. This project was conceived in 2011-12. But for several reasons, the work never progressed. It is good that the Srinagar Municipal Corporation Commissioner and other officers have revived this project," he said. "About Rs 31 crore will be spent on the project. A modern abattoir, where sheep will be tested so that no diseases originate there. All of this will be halal certified. The project will be completed in 2 years, but I have been assured that this will be completed in 1.5 years," the Chief Minister said.
J&K International Film Festival to boost local employment
He also said the aim of the Union Territory's first International Film Festival is to expose local people to quality films and create employment opportunities in the film industry.
He said the festival will also focus on providing workshops in areas such as film editing, direction, cinematography and music.
"...The aim is not to bring in Bollywood actors here. Our aim is to give exposure of films to the people here...We want to show such films that cannot usually be seen by the public here. People who are associated with the film industry - editing, directing, cinematography, music, workshops on these be held so that when film shooting is done, technicians need not be brought from outside and our people can work so that employment is generated here," he said. (ANI)
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