Ahead of India signing the agreement on the Kartarpur corridor with Pakistan, Sikh radical outfit Dal Khalsa has asked the Congress-ruled Punjab government and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to equally share the financial burden of pilgrims who might not be able to afford the $20 fee proposed by Pakistan.
At the same time, the organisation has urged the Pakistan government to reduce the fee to a level that poor pilgrims could easily afford the pilgrimage.
Stalemate unfortunate
“We urge the SGPC and the Punjab government to work out modalities and bear the expenses of pilgrims who cannot afford but desire to have a ‘darshan’ of Guru Nanak’s place. On the other hand, the Pakistan administration too needs to reduce the fee to half,” said party spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh.
He said the stalemate on the matter between the two countries was unfortunate.
Mr. Singh said if the Punjab government could bear the entire cost of boarding and lodging of all the pilgrims from Amritsar, Talwandi Sabo and Anandpur Sahib to Hazoor Sahib in 2015-2016, under the Tirath Yatra Scheme, the pilgrims to Kartarpur Sahib should not be denied the benefit.
Request to CM
Union Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal has also urged Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to ensure free pilgrimage to Kartarpur Sahib on the pattern of similar service provided to pilgrims under the Mukh Mantri Tirath Yatra scheme during the previous Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party regime.
