PDP leaders visits Jammu Bus Stand, interact with stranded passengers

Jammu, Jan 25: Peoples Democratic Party has sought immediate airlifting of passengers stranded in Jammu and opening of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway on war footings.
In a press release issued here, on the instructions of Party President and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, a team of PDP leaders led by MLC Firdous Tak visited Bus Stand Jammu and interacted with stranded passengers. He was accompanied by Parvez Waffa, Rajat Randhawa, Asim Malik, Shahnawaz Sofi and others.
Interacting with the media persons later, MLC Tak said that closure of Jammu Srinagar National Highway is not new phenomena and every year the administration prepares a contingency plan to meet the emergent situation during winter season.
“However it’s surprising that the State administration this time is caught completely unprepared as a result of which thousands of people are stranded in Jammu without any help or assurance from administration. This is in addition to the thousands of truck drivers stranded along the Jammu Srinagar National Highway,” he said.
He said that it was also surprising to know that administration has failed to even reach out to the stranded passengers who are spending nights under the open sky at Bus Stand Jammu. The only help the passengers have received so far is from the local organisations and traders while the administration seems to be in deep slumber, he added.
The legislator demanded immediate airlifting of the passengers with the help of army and air force as being done in the past. He said there was least possibility of opening of Jammu Srinagar National Highway in the next couple of days due to the bad weather condition and the only way to address the issue is to airlift the stranded passengers to Valley.
The PDP leader also urged the State Administration to direct all the district heads along Jammu Srinagar Highway to ensure proper food and shelter to the passengers and drivers stranded at different places on the highway. “Thousands of trucks and some passenger vehicles are believed to be stranded along the highway and the drivers were now running short of eatables. The government must reach out to these stranded people at the earliest and ensure that they reach to their destinations safely”, he said.
The legislator later met the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Sanjeev Verma and discussed the problems being faced by the stranded passengers with him. He urged for the personal intervention of the divisional head and hoped that the best possible efforts are made to ensure safety of these people.
The Divisional Commissioner informed that the tentative arrangements for shelter and food of the passengers have been made while all efforts to airlift the passengers are being made.