Srinagar, January 25, 2026 : Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday said the recent snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir has come as a boon for the people, helping revive tourism activity and playing a crucial role in restoring the region’s water table.
Speaking to reporters at Gulmarg, the renowned skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, Abdullah said timely snowfall during Chillai-Kalan has helped avert a potential drought-like situation.
“This time we had snow in Chillai-Kalan, which is a good thing. Tourists had been waiting for snowfall and people have now started coming,” he said.
The Chief Minister cautioned that a lack of snowfall could have resulted in severe water scarcity during summer.
“If we had not received this snow, we would have faced water shortages in the coming months,” he added.
Several parts of Kashmir, including Srinagar, witnessed fresh snowfall on Sunday, which led to disruptions in traffic along the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway. Abdullah said he reached Gulmarg on Saturday to assess the post-snowfall situation and expressed satisfaction over the restoration work carried out by various departments.
Referring to electricity supply, the Chief Minister said snowfall and strong winds had affected power distribution.
“Against a peak demand of 1,700 MW, we have managed to restore around 1,500 MW. Restoration in far-flung and severely affected areas will take some more time,” he said.
On tourism infrastructure, Abdullah said he was in Gulmarg to resolve issues delaying the operationalisation of the ski drag lift.
“I expected the drag lift to be operational by now, but there are some issues. I have directed officials to make it functional before I leave,” he said.
Reacting to BJP leader Tarun Chugh’s remarks on the demand for a separate Jammu state, the Chief Minister reiterated that the National Conference has consistently opposed any division of the erstwhile state.
“We were against the separation of Ladakh and we are against the separation of Jammu as well. Ladakh has been destroyed by the BJP,” he said, adding that it would be “good” if the demand for a separate Jammu state was not the BJP’s official stand.
On the controversy surrounding the civil judge preliminary examination results, Abdullah appealed for an end to politics based on religion and region.
“If there is any wrongdoing, bring proof and I will order an investigation. Merit should not be questioned simply because one region performed better than another,” he said, warning that such thinking had earlier led to the closure of institutions and must not be repeated.
