CM Omar Abdullah's Bani visit cancelled due to bad weather

Chief minister Omar Abdullahs visit to inaugurate development projects and address a public gathering in Kathua districts Bani area was cancelled on Wednesday due to inclement weather conditions. He said the chief minister, along with Education and Health Minister Sakina Itoo, was scheduled to visit Bani-Lohimalar, where many people had gathered with high expectations.

Chief minister Omar Abdullah's visit to inaugurate development projects and address a public gathering in Kathua district's Bani area was cancelled on Wednesday due to inclement weather conditions. ''Due to bad weather and rain, the Chief Minister's programme had to be cancelled, which has left us quite disappointed. The people are also very disheartened,'' Bani MLA Dr Rameshwar Singh told reporters. He said the chief minister, along with Education and Health Minister Sakina Itoo, was scheduled to visit Bani-Lohimalar, where many people had gathered with high expectations. ''All of us, along with the entire public of the area, had high hopes for this programme. Many people were very enthusiastic about the chief minister's visit,'' Singh said. He said many people turned up at the venue despite heavy rain. The MLA said the chief minister was scheduled to interact with locals, address a public gathering, lay the foundation stones of several projects, and inaugurate others. He, however, said the cancellation was unavoidable. ''This is nature, and there is little we can do about it,'' he said. Singh said the visit would be rescheduled soon. ''In the coming time, another visit of the chief minister to Bani-Lohimalar will be scheduled very soon. We will speak to the chief minister and invite him and Madam Sakina Itoo again shortly,'' he said. Singh said the chief minister was keen to attend and waited till around 1:30 pm for the weather to improve. ''However, no clearance was received by then, and finally the visit had to be cancelled,'' he said.