Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar at an event to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, in Sirsa, Sunday. PTIChief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar went all out in Sirsa Sunday to woo the Sikh population of the state as Haryana held a grand state-level function marking the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ji.
Be it transferring Sirsa Gurdwara land’s ownership rights to the Gurdwara, opening of a Sikh museum in Kurukshetra, installing Punjabi language signboards along National Highway or advertising 400 Punjabi teachers posts, Khattar made all these announcements in Sirsa on Sunday.
After paying obeisance to Guru Nanak Dev on the occasion, Khattar announced that “land measuring 9.75 acres shall be transferred to Gurdwara Chilla Sahib, Sirsa where Shri Guru Nanak Dev ji had spent four months and 13 days during his journey. Ownership rights of the land, which at present rest with the state government, would be transferred in the name of Gurdwara as per the policy of the state government”.
BJP state unit chief Subhash Barala, a few BJP MLAs and officers of the state government were also present on the occasion.
Khattar also announced that the government would provide all support and cooperation to the Gurdwara Chilla Sahib for starting projects of public welfare. “Shri Guru Nanak Dev ji had spent 4 months and 13 days in Sirsa where he also delivered his divine message for the welfare of the society. One acre land would be provided for the setting up of Sikh Dharamshala and for this, Deputy Commissioner, Sirsa has been asked to identify suitable piece of government land”, Khattar added while announcing that a Sikh museum will also be setup in Kurukshetra “to give inspiration to the young generation”.
“Very soon, 400 posts of Punjabi teachers shall be advertised to give more recognition to the Punjabi language. Signboards in the name of Shri Guru Gobind Singh ji would be installed on the National Highway passing from Haryana up to the border of Punjab and Rajasthan,” Khattar added.
On the occasion, Khattar also announced that the government will offer 50 per cent concession in fare for pilgrims of all religions to visit religious places of their faith. “Our government has recently given relaxation in fare to the senior citizens visiting holy cities of Amritsar and Varanasi”, Khattar said.
Haryana government had recently formed a Trust after the name of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur for the development of Lohgarh as a tourist destination. A memorial of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, Museum and Martial Art institute would soon be constructed in Lohgarh with the help of this Trust.
The CM thanked the large number of gurus, saints and devotees who had converged in Sirsa not from Haryana but from other states too.
