SAMBA: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah congratulated BJP leader Kavinder Gupta on his appointment as Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Ladakh, and said that he will need to keep in mind that, just like in Jammu and Kashmir, one has to maintain a balance and be sensitive to the sentiments of the people of Leh and Kargil regions.

"My best wishes to Kavinder Gupta on being appointed as the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh. But this responsibility is not easy. Working in high-altitude areas is challenging," Abdullah told reporters during a visit to the Samba district.

Abdullah further said that just as Gupta handled responsibilities as Assembly Speaker and deputy chief minister in Jammu and Kashmir, he will now have to work in Leh and Kargil with the same balance.

"He will also need to keep in mind that, just like here in Jammu and Kashmir, one has to maintain a balance and be sensitive to people's sentiments. There too, he will have to work with both sides-Leh and the Kargil region-and move forward together. If he does that, he will succeed," he said.

During this visit, Abdullah also toured the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Vijaypur. He inspected the facilities being provided to patients at the hospital and formally launched the Disaster Management Manual.

He said, "The facilities available at AIIMS Vijaypur are quite good. Although the highway's condition is not very suitable for travel right now, even so, this AIIMS will perform better than other AIIMS institutes in the country in the future."

The chief minister further said that not only do patients from Jammu and Kashmir come here for treatment, but now people from nearby states have also started coming.

"And despite the fact that travelling on the highway is still difficult and the expressway is yet to be completed, I believe the crowd and rush at the hospital will increase significantly once that happens," he said.