With sentiments running high, the Punjab Government on Saturday announced it will foot the bill of phone calls made by family members of Punjabis who are stranded in strife-torn Iraq.
A spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said frequent international calls being made by the panic-stricken family members of the trapped people was a costly affair, and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal decided that the State Government would repay the entire expenditure incurred by them on making these calls.
“Badal has directed the State Government officers to take necessary steps to ensure that every penny spent by the distressed families on phone calls must be reimbursed immediately after they submit their valid claims to the concerned authorities,” the spokesman said.
Badal also said the State Government would bear the entire expenditure of bringing home the trapped people safely.
Punjab’s NRI Affairs Minister Tota Singh said that till Friday evening, more than 200 families rang up the control room, giving details about their relatives stuck in Iraq.
Of these Indians in Iraq, the highest number 29 are from Jalandhar, 28 from Kapurthala, 23 from Amritsar and 22 from Gurdaspur districts.
Speaking to mediapersons later in lambi, Badal said that all the Punjabis stuck in Iraq were safe, adding that the State Government was constantly in touch with the Centre to ensure safe and prompt return of these sons of the soil.
The CM said that Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had informed him over phone on Saturday that all the Punjabis, who were struck in Iraq were totally safe. He said that the State Government was in touch with the Centre regarding the well being of these Punjabis. Badal said this was a very serious issue due to which every Punjabi was concerned about their brethren trapped in Iraq.
“All the people, the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, social and religious organisations and panchayats across the State should pray before the Almighty for the well-being and safe return of Punjabi youth, who were trapped in Iraq,” he added.