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PM to flag off bus to Nankana Sahib today Amritsar, March 23 Mr J P Virdi, ADGP and Mr Barjinder Kumar Uppal, DIG, counter-intelligence, did not rule out mischief to mark the visit of the PM. “You know Kargil happened when the then Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, went to Pakistan in the inaugural Delhi-Lahore bus in 1999”, says Mr Uppal. To a pointed question, Mr Virdi said “all Prime Ministers face security threat and hence they (PMs) visit under SPG umbrella and can’t visit any place like a common man. Though there is no potential threat to the PM even then police is on high alert. He said the high security was as per the Blue Book because PMs always faced threat of terrorist attacks. About 45 passengers including officials, would board the Amritsar-Nankana Sahib Bus which will be flagged off by Dr Manmohan Singh. To a question, Mr Virdi said intelligence agencies had concrete information that top terrorists had taken shelter in different countries, including England, Germany and Pakistan. However, they could not be brought back as India did not have an extradition treaty with those countries. He added that the authorities would take up the issue of extradition of these terrorists from those countries and would bring them back to India. He said Kulbir Singh Beera, one of the most wanted terrorists, would soon be brought back from Germany where he had been residing for the past many years. He said Pakistan’s ISI had now indulged in narco-terrorism to destroy the youth and smuggling of fake currency to hit the country economically. He said large quantities of narcotics were seized which were smuggled to India through the Jammu and Kashmir and Ferozepore sectors. Meanwhile, elaborate security arrangements around the Golden Temple have been causing lot of inconvenience to devotees. So much so the official car of Mr Roop Singh, manager, Darbar Sahib and Mr Dalmegh Singh, secretary, SGPC, were stopped by the police which created an unsavory situation. However, the DIG immediately rushed to the spot and pulled up the DSP and inspector when Mr Roop Singh brought the high-handedness of the police to his knowledge. Senior police officials promised that devotees would not be put to inconvenience tomorrow.  |
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May announce Rs 570 crore package for Amritsar Amritsar, March 23 According to highly placed sources, the Chief Secretary, Mr K.R.Lakhanpal, himself prepared a list of the requirements of the city, including construction of double flyover up to Harmander Sahib at a cost of Rs 110 crore. A sum of Rs 240 crore may be announced for providing 100 per cent sewer and drinking facilities to the citizens. The Prime Minister may also announce a grant of Rs 210 crore for four-laning of the road from Verka to Wagah . The signing of the agreement with DLF for the special economic zone (SEZ) may also take place. Meanwhile, SGPC president Avtar Singh has said that the Prime Minister would be honoured with a siropa by Giani Gurbachan Singh, Head Granthi of Darbar Sahib, in the sanctum sanctorum tomorrow. He said that he himself
would be present at the Information Office of the SGPC to honour the visiting Prime Minister. He, however, said that
Mr Parkash Singh Badal, President of the Shiromani Akali Dal, would not attend
the function. Significantly, Akal Takht Jathedar, Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, would not be present at the time when the Prime Minister would be honoured by the SGPC. Meanwhile, Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, President, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), has condemned the decision of the SGPC to honour the Prime Minister with siropa. He said Dr Singh had appointed Mr H.S.Josh as member of the National Commission for Minorities who had challenged the distinct identity of the Sikhs . He strongly
critised the ‘‘double standards’’ of the Shiromani Committee on such issues which had been blaming the Congress for all the wrongs on the one hand and honouring of Dr Singh on the other. Apart from presenting a memorandum to the visiting Prime Minister that includes returning of rare books of the Sikh reference library, taken by the CBI after Operation Bluestar, taking up the case with the Governments of Afghanistan and Bangladesh to renovate the Sikh shrines there, handing over the charge of the Amritsar-Nankana Sahib bus to the Shiromani Committee and the turban issue with the Government of France, the SGPC chief is likely to ask him to increase the volume of jathas to Pakistan. The SGPC chief may also take up the case of Jathedar Takht Damdama Sahib who was booked by the Bathinda police in a shootout case. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh said that once trade through the Wagah border picks up momentum, Punjab would make an endeavour to open the Indo-Pak border through Hussainiwala and Dera Baba Nanak to boost trade and commerce activities in the entire border belt of Amritsar, Ferozepore and Gurdaspur. |
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