Aiming to put a lid on the controversy surrounding the National Institute of Technology (NIT), with outstation students demanding the campus be shifted out of Srinagar following unrest, Jammu and Kash
Aiming to put a lid on the controversy surrounding the National Institute of Technology (NIT), with outstation students demanding the campus be shifted out of Srinagar following unrest, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, who is here on her maiden visit after taking over the reins of the state, on Tuesday dismissed the possibility of shifting the institute out of the Valley.
Sources in the ministry said that Union home minister Rajnath Singh told Ms Mufti that normalcy should be restored at the earliest.
Ms Mufti called on the home minister, a meeting she described as a “courtesy call”.
Sources said all pending issues and the demands of the J&K government were put up before the home minister who gave the newly-appointed chief minister assurance that the Centre will extend all help and cooperation in issues flagged by the state government.
The issue of rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants, concerns related to the youth, the law and order situation arising out of militancy and the recent NIT unrest, are learnt to have been discussed.
Emerging from the 45-minute meeting with Mr Singh, Ms Mufti said, “It is a courtesy call on the home minister after I took over as the chief minister.”
When asked about the unrest at the NIT, she said, “Let me make it clear that it is an issue within the institute and please do not give it a colour of local versus outsiders. The human resources development ministry is looking into the grievances of the outstation students and I am hopeful that it will be resolved soon. As far as demands of some students to shift the NIT campus out of Srinagar is considered, let me make it clear that it won’t be possible,” she said.
