JAMMU, Feb. 11 -- Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday informed the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly that the proposed Vaishno Devi ropeway project was approved by the Lieutenant Governor and not by his Council of Ministers, even as he asserted that facilities for the Amarnath Yatra have never been dependent on Article 370.

The clarification came amid a heated exchange in the House after BJP MLA Baldev Raj Sharma claimed that the project had received approval from the cabinet. Intervening, the Chief Minister said he had personally verified the official records.

"I checked whether there was any approval by the Council of Ministers, and there was none. I also examined whether the earlier administrative council had approved it - i...