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| Omar calls for fresh look at J&k – Delhi ties | | |
New Delhi , March 07: There is a need to rebuild the relationship between Jammu and Kashmir and rest of the country which has fallen prey to the two decades-old militancy, said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Participating at a seminar here, Omar was replying to questions about the steps being taken by his government to promote tourism in the state.
"I want to rebuild the relationship between Kashmir and rest of India, which has not been existent in the last 20 years, through tourism. I want all of you to come to Srinagar, Gulmarg or Sonmarg, hire a hut for a month and stay," Omar said.
The Chief Minister said he has been trying his best to promote adventure sports in Jammu and Kashmir for both domestic and foreign tourists.
"I myself had gone to Gulmarg recently and enjoyed skiing there," he said.
Omar said states like Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu enjoy locational advantages and have been able to attract huge investments in different sectors.
"I am not going to ask anyone to invest in my state. What I am doing is asking the industrialists to visit the state, see the opportunities there themselves and decide on their own," he said.
The Chief Minister expressed his frustration over the Indus Water Treaty under which the state cannot hold back water of any river flowing towards Pakistan.
Omar said his National Conference was the oldest advocate of autonomy for the states and the time has come for the Centre to devolve more power to the states.
"If the nation has to be strong, structural system has to be changed and more autonomy has to be given to them," he said.
The Chief Minister said there must be equal distribution of resources among the states and the Central government should not look at states through the prism of politics.
"When you have a friendly government at the Centre, you will get help and financial assistance. But if you are in opposition, then there is a problem," he said.
Omar said the Centre has been following a very dangerous trend by decentralising power to civic and local bodies and giving very little power to the state governments.
"The states have been weakened by the Centre by decentralisation of power to civic and local bodies. All regulatory power rests with the Centre. Today, individuals enjoy more power than the states. States must have a healthy dose of autonomy," he said.
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