early times report
JAMMU, Jan 27: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah seems to be holding two yardsticks while ruling Jammu and Kashmir!
In Kashmir valley, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah applies one, while moving in Jammu region, he has another, which is totally different from the first one.
On May 16, 2012, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had set an example of following rules by stopping his cavalcade at a traffic light and waiting for it to turn green. At that time, local newspapers carried photographs showing the chief minister's cavalcade stopping at a junction on Maulana Azad Road here.
It is pertinent to mention here that official motorcades had been seen in the past violating traffic rules, but Omar Abdullah's gesture sent a subtle message to everyone on the issue in Kashmir valley.
Amazingly, here in Jammu region, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has altogether different "thinking". He opts for "controlled" traffic light signals while driving on Jammu roads. A recent incident where traffic lights-from its control room-were left blinking on Red Light for minutes till chief minister's cavalcade moved from that area, is a pointed to the fact that chief minister apply different yardsticks at different places.
Reliable sources revealed that, "On January 26th, late afternoon, chief minister's cavalcade started from his official residence towards Technical Airport, Satwari as he had to take off for New Delhi. On en-route, there were four traffic light signals installed for the smooth vehicular movement. However, when chief minister Omar Abdullah started from his residence, all the four traffic lights were kept on Red Light for minutes so that chief minister's cavalcade does not face any traffic hurdle."
"Following red light," sources shared, "long serpentine queues of vehicles were formed on the roads including that of Bikram Chowk, Gandhi Nagar and Satwari Chowk. People were confused as in routine these lights blink on red colour just for one minute but that day it were at least four to five minutes. It was only after clearance of the movement of chief minister on the said roads, the traffic light signals were restored to green from red, one by one."
"It was an utter surprise for us when a Cop told us to wait as there was movement of chief minister Omar Abdullah. When I inquired that chief minister himself has always preferred to stop at traffic light system till it turns green, the Cop quipped, better ask your chief minister. For us the direction from the seniors is the only duty to perform," pointed out Devinder Kumar, who too got stuck up during chief minister's movement on Saturday.
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