Jammu: Union minister Jitendra Singh had a word of caution for his BJP colleague and Jammu and Kashmir MLA Shakti Raj Parihar, saying leaders should be “frank in stating facts without handing out lofty promises” to people looking for a return to normalcy following a series of calamities.
He was responding to an X post in which the Doda MLA claimed he was assured by the minister and the divisional commissioner of Jammu that fuel supply would be facilitated to the area via the Mughal Road at the earliest to support critical services and public needs.
“Although our colleague and Doda MLA Shakti Raj Parihar has spoken to me expressing his concern (about shortage of fuel in Doda), the present unusual and difficult calamity conditions require that we should be free and frank in stating the facts without handing out lofty promises which are impracticable or undoable to our citizens who are already well informed and wise enough,” Singh said on X in response to Parihar’s post.
The minister of state in the PMO who represents Udhampur in the Lok Sabha said the matter of fact is that the Mughal Road, which was blocked for several days, has just been opened only for single-lane movement for light vehicles, and it may not be possible to ply heavy petrol trucks on it at the risk of an accident.
“Moreover, in case of continuous rain, it is likely that the Mughal Road may get blocked any time again,” he said.
The Mughal road is an alternate route linking Poonch and Rajouri districts in the Jammu region with south Kashmir’s Shopian district.
Its reopening two days ago came as a big relief to stranded passengers since the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway has been closed for nearly a fortnight now owing to multiple landslides between Udhampur and Banihal.
Referring to the Jammu-Srinagar road, Singh said attempts were made to remove the blockade on the highway in Udhampur at Thard and Bali Nalah on Sunday night, but incessant rains hampered the operation.
“It is hoped that the NHAI authorities working round the clock will succeed in opening at least a part of it by tomorrow (Monday) to enable petroleum/ fuel and other essential vehicles to get a passage on a priority basis.”
Earlier, Doda MLA Parihar, in his X post, said that due to the prevailing weather conditions, fuel shortages have started causing panic among the people and are badly affecting the restoration work on highways and link roads in the district.
