Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said his government was ready to use its own funds to facilitate the return of people from the Union Territory stranded in Saudi Arabia amid flight cancellations and a sharp surge in airfares.
Speaking to news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) CM Omar said the problem was not limited to residents of Jammu and Kashmir, as people from other states were also facing difficulties returning home.
He said while flights were operating, the steep rise in ticket prices had made it difficult for passengers who had originally booked tickets on budget airlines to arrange alternative travel.
“We will take up the issue with the Ministry of External Affairs and find a way out,” the Chief Minister said.
“If the Ministry of External Affairs does not have the budget to bring them back or help them with tickets, we will spend money from our own budget to bring them back,” he added.
CM Omar said the government would explore possible solutions in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs to ensure that stranded passengers could return home.
On a separate question concerning administrative jurisdiction over certain matters, the Chief Minister suggested that the relevant minister, Sakina Itoo, would be better placed to respond.
Asked about issues concerning areas that were earlier part of Jammu and Kashmir but now fall under Ladakh, he said such matters should be taken up with the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh or the Centre following Ladakh’s separation from Jammu and Kashmir. (KNS)
