PUNJAB CM OFFERS TO DEPUTE STATE POLICE
SECURITY PERSONNEL AND PROVIDE LOGISTICS FOR GURUTA GADDI CELEBRATIONS
AT NANDED
Chandigarh February 10, 2008
Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today assured
the Union Home Minister Mr. Shivraj Patil who is also the Chairman
of the National Committee on Guruta Gaddi Divas celebrations that
Punjab Government would extend full support and cooperation to
the Maharashtra Government by way of providing requisite state
police security personnel, equipment, vehicles and other resources
for the commemoration of 300th Guruta Gaddi Divas of Sri Guru
Granth Sahib at Nanded in a befitting manner.
An assurance to this effect comes during a meeting of the National
Committee for the commemoration of Tercentenary Celebrations of
Guruta Gaddi Divas chaired by Union Home Minister Mr. Patil at
Nanded to review the arrangements for this mega event, where 12
lac devotees were expected to attend week long celebrations at
Takht Sri Sach Khand Hazoor Sahib commencing from October 28 to
November 4, 2008. The committee also finalized the programme schedule
after broad consensus which would now include Maha Ishnan on October
28, Diwali on October 29, Nagar Kirtan October 30, Parlok Gaman
of Sri Guru Goind Singh Ji on November 3 and Nagar Kirtan November
4.
Mr. Badal suggested the members of the National Committee on
Tercentenary Guruta Gaddi Divas to tie up with the various religious
organizations in Punjab well in advance to make elaborate arrangements
to provide Langer (free community kitchen) to the devotees. He
said that these organizations were capable of providing langer
to the devotees on such mammoth gatherings.
He also suggested the Committee to bring awareness amongst the
public about the significance of this great historic event through
undertaking wide publicity in the media. Mr. Badal said that this
initiative would help to elicit maximum participation of the devotees
especially the NRIs and others settled in the different parts
in the country to converge at Nanded.
The Chief Minister also urged Mr. Patil to immediately release
funds to the tune of Rs. 200 crore package for the development
and up gradation of the historic towns of Sri Anandpur Sahib and
Talwandi Sabo besides, the timely allocation of funds for an early
completion of the prestigious Guru Gobind Singh Marg from Anandpur
Sahib to Nanded Sahib ( Maharashtra). He said that both these
projects had already been approved in principal by the National
Committee for the commemoration of Tercentenary Celebrations of
Guruta Gaddi Divas.
Responding to the issues raised by Mr. Badal, the Union Home
Minister appreciated the gesture of Mr. Badal for extending cooperation
and support to make this momentous event as a grand success. Mr.
Patil pointed out that a national seminar about the significance
and relevance of Guruta Gaddi Divas would be shortly held at New
Delhi where eminent academicians, historians and Sikh Scholars
would be invited to dwell on the subject which would be extensively
covered by the national as well as international media to create
awareness about the relevance of Guruta Gaddi Divas.
Mr. Patil informed that Rs. 1420 crore would be jointly spent
by Government of India (GoI) and the state of governments of Maharashtra
and Punjab for the tercentenary celebrations of the Guruta Gaddi
Divas. Mr. Ptail assured the Chief Minister that adequate funds
would be soon released for the timely execution of the up-gradation
of Sri Anandpur Sahib and Talwandi Sabo apart from 2480 kilometer
Guru Gobind Singh Marg to be taken up as a major project of national
concern which would pass through Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi,
Uttar Pardesh, Madhya Pardesh and Maharashtra.
Earlier, the Chief Minister paid obeisance at the sanctum sanctorum
of Takhat Sri Sachkhand Hazoor Sahib and also visited the ongoing
Gurdwara Complex Development Project being implemented at a cost
of Rs. 115 crore as a part of Guruta Gaddi Divas celebrations
including the River Front Project at Godawari and a Gurdwara rest
house. He also handed over the keys of the houses to the members
of the families who had been displaced due to the beautification
plan (gallaiara) around the Gurudwara Takht Sri Hazoor Sahib.
It may be recalled that about 3000 families had been displaced
due to the implementation of the galliara project. He also visited
the local Gurdwara Nagina Ghat.
Prominent among other who were present in the meeting included
Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Mrs. Ambika Soni, Chief
Minister Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh, Governor Tamilnadu Mr.
Surjit Singh Barnala and Special Principal Secretary KGS Cheema.