Amit Shah to visit Jammu on Jan 9, to take part in development programmes

JAMMU: Union Home Minister will visit Jammu on Tuesday during which he will attend a number of development-related programmes and flag off an e-bus service in the city, officials said.

This will be Shah’s first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after terrorists ambushed two army vehicles, killing five soldiers and injuring two others at Poonch on December 21.

A day later bodies of three civilians were found in the Poonch district, not far from the spot of the day before the incident, sparking outrage.

The home minister will visit Jammu on January 9 during which he will chair a review meeting on comprehensive development of Jammu and Kashmir, a home ministry official said.

Besides, Shah will launch the ‘Vikas Bharat Sankalp Yatra’, a central government initiative, flag off an e-bus service and inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of various development works.

The home minister will also distribute appointment letters to the youths selected for different government jobs, the official said.

Shah had reviewed the security situation of Jammu and Kashmir with top functionaries of the central government and Jammu and Kashmir administration on January 2 in New Delhi.

In that meeting, he had instructed the strengthening of the counter-terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir and stressed on complete elimination of terror eco-system.

While advising the security agencies for appropriate deployment in vulnerable areas in the Union Territory, Shah stressed that all due procedures should be adopted while dealing with counter-terror operations.

Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Chief of Army staff (CoAS) General Manoj Pande and top officials of intelligence and other security agencies attended that meeting.