CM to lead all-party group to Kartarpur on corridor opening day

CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh will lead an all-party delegation to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan on the opening day of the cross-border corridor on November 9.

The CM said this during a meeting in Chandigarh while reviewing the progress of various works related to the 550th Parkash Purb celebrations to be held at historic Dera Baba Nanak town. This was his second review meeting in a week.

The delegation accompanying Amarinder to Kartarpur will comprise all 117 Punjab MLAs, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs from the state, SGPC members, as well as members of Sant Samaj and representatives of state’s recognised political parties.

During the review meeting, Amarinder also announced that an old road in Dera Baba Nanak leading to Kartarpur will be named after late Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) stalwart Kuldeep Singh Wadala.

Wadala, who remained at loggerheads with SAD patriarch and former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on panthic issues, kept raking up the corridor issue and offered prayers on every ‘Amavasya’ (no moon day) at Dera Baba Nanak.

His son Gurpartap Singh Wadala is Akali MLA from Nakodar.

Reiterating the grand occasion was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all to be a part of, Amarinder asked state finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal to ensure regular outflow of funds for the projects related to the celebrations.

If necessary, he could even cut the financial allocation to any department, the CM told the finance minister.

Amarinder asked the financial commissioner (revenue) to freeze the budget by Thursday of all the high-level events planned at Dera Baba Nanak to commemorate the momentous occasion.

He also directed the chief secretary to finalise the schedule of activities to be held at three historic towns and put it in public domain by October 1.

Underlining the need to disseminate necessary information on the main events, the CM asked the state organising committee to prepare a detailed audio-visual campaign to enable the devotees to plan their journey in advance. He directed the department concerned to design a handbook detailing all events.

Earlier, the principal secretary (local government) informed those present at the meeting that ₹271 crore had been approved for Dera Baba Nanak by the Centre under the smart city project.