SGPC offers ‘serais’ of historic gurdwaras for quarantine facility

SAYS QUARANTINE ARRANGEMENTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN MADE AT SGPC-RUN SRI GURU RAM DAS MEDICAL COLLEGE AND HOSPITAL

AMRITSAR : A day after the Akal Takht asked gurdwaras across the globe to help the needy people amid coronavirus outbreak and keep the ‘serais’ ready for providing quarantine facility to those infected with the virus, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Monday offered the serais of historic gurdwaras, including Golden Temple, for the purpose.

Declaring that it will cooperate with the administration and health department to isolate the suspected and confirmed patients of Covid-19, the SGPC said the arrangements have already been made at Sri Guru Ram Das Medical College and Hospital for quarantining the patients.

The SGPC, which manages majority of the historic gurdwaras in northern region of the country, has also announced to offer langar (free food) prepared at gurdwaras to the needy people.

“The entire world is worried over the pandemic and in such a situation the SGPC is available for every kind of cooperation. Directions have been issued to make the serais ready for helping the needy people,” said SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal.

In a ‘sandesh’ issued on Sunday, Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh said, “The entire world has been badly affected by the deadly virus which has claimed lives of thousands of people across the globe. Panic has gripped the world as the virus is spreading swiftly. In such a situation, the Sikh community should come to the fore to accomplish its duties”.

Meanwhile, SGPC chief secretary Roop Singh said a drive has been launched to sanitise the serais, offices of the SGPC and the surroundings of Golden Temple.

To discuss the postponement of its annual budget session that is scheduled on March 28, the SGPC has called an emergency meeting of its executive penal here on March 26.

400 PILGRIMS STUCK AT NANDED

As many as 400 pilgrims are stuck at Takht Hazur Sahib, one of the five Sikh temporal seats of the Sikhism, in Nanded of Maharashtra due to suspension of trains in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak.

Takht Hazur Sahib Management Board president Bhupinder Singh Minhas and vice-president Gurinder Singh Bawa told HT that these pilgrims have come from different states of the country.

“We will not let these pilgrims face any problem and are making efforts to ensure that they return to their homes at the earliest,” said Minhas.

He said they are making arrangements of buses and air tickets for these pilgrims to send them back safely.