The long -pending issue of reconstruction of Gyan Godri Gurudwara seems to have taken a positive turn with the Sikh community representatives having agreed to an alternative land as proposed by the district magistrate. The agreement is said to have evolved when the Sikh leaders met the DM on Wednesday to discuss the issue, a day after they met Chief Minister Harish Rawat.
Speaking to The Pioneer, DM Harbans Singh Chugh said, “I met the representative group of the Sikhs who had recently met the Chief Minister in connection to the land allotment for Gyan Godri Gurudwara. It is quite an old issue and we are trying to sort it out. Some alternatives have been given to them, and out of these, one area has almost been finalised. land transfer might take place soon after the things is finalised.”
It is pertinent to be mention here that the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev had visited Har Ki Pauri in 1504-05. He had challenged the ‘Brahminical rituals’ while giving his message from there, while stressing on the supremacy of humanity over all stratification.
In 1978, the Gurudwara was demolished for beautification of the area. In 1984, it was handed over to Scouts and Guides, a move against which the Sikh community has been protesting for the past 32 years.
Speaking to The Pioneer, president of Gyan Godri Sangharsh Samiti, Harjit Singh Dua said, “We met the CM following which he directed us to contact the DM. Three alternative lands were offered and we nearly zeroed in on one tract of land.”
Representatives from nine Gurudwaras based in Dehradun and four based in Haridwar met the CM on Tuesday. National president of Shri Guru Singh Sabha of Uttarakhand Sardar Harpal Singh Sethi said, “We met the CM of UP Akhilesh Yadav on the matter too and the UP irrigation department would soon facilitate the land transfer. We are hopeful that the matter would be resolved soon.”