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Punjab Govt
February 10, 2008

 

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.

 

 

 

 

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