Nearly 357 pilgrims, including 355 belonging to Punjab, have been airlifted from Uttarakhand. While evacuating the stranded Pilgrims from Uttarakhand old people, Children and Women were being air lifted on priority and they are being brought at Rishikesh.
Sikh pilgrims trapped around the Sikh shrine Hemkunt Sahib in Uttarakhand have been rescued and efforts are underway to evacuate over 3,000 others stranded in the hill state. A special team of Punjab government is coordinating the ongoing rescue operation in the calamity-hit areas of Uttarakhand and ensuring the safe return of Sikh pilgrims.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, who is abroad with his family, was closely monitoring the evacuation of pilgrims from Uttarakhand after a massive natural disaster. “Punjab’s official team is looking the rescue operation in Uttarakhand to insure safe return of each Sikh pilgrim stuck at Gobind Dham and other surrounding areas due to inclement weather and rain fury. Punjab government’s official team had reached Gobind Dham on Wednesday and managed to evacuate 300 pilgrims by helicopter on the same day,” stated the official press statement on Thursday.
Special Secretary Kahan Singh Pannu, who is leading the government’s official team of four senior officers, telephonically informed that efforts were underway to rescue the pilgrims trapped in the state, and 500 more pilgrims would be airlifted from Gobind Dham on Thursday to the safe places.
Besides Pannu, the team comprise DIG Khubi Ram, Punjab State Cooperative Bank managing director Kamaldip Singh Sangha, and Amarjit Singh and Inderjit Singh from the office of Director General School Education (DGSE).
Pannu also informed that there were about 3000 Sikh pilgrims and all of them were in high moral and safe. The local administration and Army were fully cooperating to the Punjab’s team, he added.
Pannu informed Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal over phone that about 3,000 Sikh pilgrims were still stuck in the area.
Regarding the arrangements for langar (community kitchen), Pannu said that a five-member committee has been constituted to ensure the smooth functioning of the langar. The local Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee was also facilitating all the pilgrims, Pannu added.
Pannu also urged the public not to create any panic as the situation at Govind Dham was completely under control, evacuation operation was in full swing, and his team would insure the safety of each pilgrim. In the meantime, the representative said that the Punjab Government had decided to extend leave of those employees who had been trapped, and grant exemption from the next month’s Panchayat election duty till they return safely.
Already, Sukhbir has spoken to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, who has thanked the Deputy Chief Minister for coordinating relief operations and offered full support to Punjab teams in evacuation operations.
Sukhbir, who is in constant touch with team, has also asked the Transport Department to press into service the buses of Punjab Roadways and PRTC to bring back the Pilgrims from the base station.