Srinagar:

In his first people-friendly gesture, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday directed DGP Nalin Prabhat to ensure that no ‘green corridor’ is created for the CM’s movement to inconvenience the common citizens.

It must be mentioned that traffic was usually stopped from both sides to allow the unhindered movement of the chief minister’s cavalcade in J&K due to security reasons in the past.

Omar Abdullah said on his X-post handle, “I have spoken to the DG @JmuKmrPolice that there is to be no “green corridor” or traffic stoppage when I move anywhere by road. I have instructed him to minimise public inconvenience & the use of sirens is to be minimal. The use of any stick waving or aggressive gestures is to be totally avoided. I’m asking my cabinet colleagues to follow the same example. In everything our conduct must be people friendly. We are here to serve the people & not to inconvenience them.”

Immediately after Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the chief minister of the UT, PM Modi said on his official X-post handle, “Congratulations to Shri Omar Abdullah Ji on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Wishing him the very best in his efforts to serve the people. The Centre will work closely with him and his team for J&K’s progress. @OmarAbdullah”.

Earlier in the day Omar Abdullah was administered the oath of office and secrecy by J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha. Five MLAs — Surinder Choudhary, Sakina Itoo, Javaid Ahmad Rana, Javaid Ahmad Dar and Satish Sharma were sworn in as ministers. He later announced that he was deputing Surinder Choudhary as the deputy chief minister to give proper representation to the Jammu division as he had promised before forming the government.

Omar Abdullah took over as the 14th chief minister of J&K having served the previously full six-year term from 2009 to 2015 as the chief minister of the erstwhile state.

The chief minister later chaired a meeting of all the administrative secretaries of the UT administration at the civil secretariat in Srinagar.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)