Badals did nothing for development of Talwandi Sabo, alleges Channi

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Wednesday accused the Badals of not doing anything for the development of the holy town of Talwandi Sabo here in Bathinda.

He said strenuous efforts will be made to develop the religious town.

Lashing out at his political opponents, the chief minister alleged, ''The Badals only focused their attention on increasing their wealth and totally neglected this religious town.'' Taking on the Aam Aadmi Party leaders, Channi termed them ''outsiders'' and accused them of making false promises to the people ahead of the Punjab assembly polls. Addressing a rally here at the grain market here, he said a heritage street will be developed in Talwandi Sabo on the lines that already existed in Amritsar and Chamkaur Sahib, according to an official release.

Speaking on this occasion, Transport Minister Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said state-owned buses are now earning Rs 1.28 crore revenue per day and also spoke about the action taken against private buses for not paying taxes.

Meanwhile, Channi appealed to Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh to direct the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), an apex gurdwara body, to immediately grant rights to all TV and radio channels for broadcasting 'Gurbani Kirtan' from the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

He personally handed over a letter to the Jathedar Sahib at Takht Sri Damdama Sahib in this regard. Channi also assured the Jathedar that the state government was ready to bear the entire expenditure for setting up requisite infrastructure for the purpose.

The chief minister said the SGPC has given exclusive rights to a particular Punjabi channel, having sole ownership of a single family in lieu of a paltry sum of funds and enjoying absolute monopoly, which is totally unfair and unjustified. He said that the SGPC with its decision by giving telecast rights especially to one channel has become an obstacle in the way of dissemination of 'Gurbani kirtan' in every household far and wide across the globe.

Channi also apprised the Jathedar that even the Shiromani Akali Dal, in its election manifesto of the SGPC polls during 1996 and 2004, had made a promise that the SGPC would set up its own channel for the live telecast of 'Gurbani kirtan'.

Earlier in the day, he visited Anandpur Sahib in Rupnagar district and laid the foundation stones of development projects worth Rs 20 crore dedicated to mark the 346th martyrdom day of the ninth Sikh Guru Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur.

Addressing a public gathering here at an auditorium in Virasat-e-Khalsa after paying obeisance at Gurdwara Sri Sis Ganj Sahib, Channi said the Guru's legacy of religious tolerance, secularism and freedom of faith would ever guide the humanity till eternity to live in peace and harmony in an egalitarian society. On the occasion, Channi digitally laid the foundation stones of four projects, including the modernisation and upgradation of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur museum with a cost of Rs 1.50 crore and a nature park to be developed over an area of 62 acres at a cost of Rs 10 crore.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)