It seems Army is 1st number on speed dial, Omar on Elphinstone station footbridge

Srinagar, Oct 31: Taking a jibe at centre over Army being called to help building a new foot overbridge at the Elphinstone Road station in Mumbai, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said it seems like Army is the first number on the speed dial.
      “The Army was to be a measure of last resort to be called upon in extreme emergency. Now it seems like it’s the 1st number on the speed dial,” Mr Abdullah, who is the working president of National Conference (NC), wrote on micro-blogging site twitter.
   Mr Abdullah was reacting to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman statement, “Probably first time asked Army to come in to build what could otherwise be called civil work, but Elphinstone tragedy was so big.”
      A deadly stampede took place last month at the footbridge in Elphinstone Road station that left over 20 commuters dead and 39 others injured during an unexpected rain shower.
      The centre has in the past also come under criticism after it asked Army to clean various tourist spots in the country, besides build a pontoon bridge for Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living event on the banks of Yamuna in March last year.