Something Needs to be Done for J&K People Stranded in Different Parts of the Country: Omar Abdullah

Srinagar: National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Monday said something needs to be done for the people from Jammu and Kashmir stranded in other states due to the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said he and his father Farooq Abdullah have been flooded by calls and messages from Kashmiris stuck in various parts of the country, especially in north India.

“Now that the (Narendra) Modi government is planning an extension to this lockdown something will have to be done for people stuck in other states. A lot of them don’t have much money… There is no work available for them,” Omar tweeted.?

These people include labourers, shawl traders, business people and also those who have been “repatriated” to India and have completed their quarantine, he said, adding, “It’s been frustrating to not do as much as one would have liked for them.”

“A common sentiment expressed by most of them had been ‘long before corona gets us we will die of hunger’. The government will have to work out some way of bringing these people home and pending that needs to do a better job helping them with food and emergency funds,” Omar Abdullah added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on Tuesday at 10 am. The 21-day nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus ends on Tuesday and the prime minister is likely to talk about its possible extension.

PTI