Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishen Reddy, who laid the foundation stone of the first-ever Balaji temple of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) in Jammu on Sunday, said the Centre had managed to curb infiltration and militancy in Jammu and Kashmir in the past two years.
“Barring a couple of incidents of violence reported in J&K, the situation has changed across India and J&K in the past two years. The government has managed to curb infiltration, and militancy stands controlled in J&K,” he said.
Mr. Reddy said the coronavirus pandemic hindered the Centre’s plan to push development initiatives in Jammu and Kashmir. “COVID-19 did play a spoilsport and hit the development projects. Once the pandemic ends, we will take J&K UT to new heights of development,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Mr. Reddy and MoS Jitendra Singh participated in the ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ of the Balaji temple of the TTD, one of the country’s richest independent trusts that manages the famous Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh.
“Pilgrims from south India will also start visiting Jammu and will pay obeisance both at the Balaji Temple as well as the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. This will result in development of the area and also help in integration,” Mr. Reddy said.
The J&K government has transferred 496 kanal (62 acres) and 17 Marla of land to the temple, first such instance since the Centre ended J&K’s special constitutional position in 2019.
Meanwhile, Mr. Reddy will also chair a meeting of security top brass to review the security of J&K.
