Advertisement

Updated January 16th, 2020 at 15:55 IST

SAD, Akal Takht opposes saffron touch to Amritsar railway station

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Akal Takht, top temporal seat of Sikhs, opposed the manner in which the railways have proposed to renovate and facelift the railway station

SAD
| Image:self
Advertisement

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Akal Takht, top temporal seat of Sikhs, have opposed the manner in which the railways have proposed to renovate and facelift the railway station.

Several Sikh outfits and personalities have apprehended that the blueprint of renovation work has a saffron touch and pays no heed to the Sikh heritage values of the holy city. The proposal to construct a lotus-shaped pond at the main entrance of the railway station has irked the Sikh organisations.

READ: SAD, AAP MLAs Walk Out Of Punjab Assembly During Governor's Address

SGPC chief Gobind Singh Longowal vehemently rejected the revamp plan saying religious insignias on all entry and exit points of the city including the airport, bus stand and railway station should give a reflection of Sikh religious places like the Golden Temple keeping in view the sentiments of visiting pilgrims. "Religious symbols always reflect the religious importance of a city... This city (Amritsar) is known for the pious Golden Temple," he said.

Renovation work of the holy city should be done while keeping in view the importance of the world renowned Golden Temple and emotions of the Sikh community, he said.

"The significance of Sikh heritage shouldn't be ignored at any cost, since hundreds of Sikh devotees around the world throng Amritsar with the motive to pay obeisance at Golden Temple through rail routes," he said. "The fourth Sikh Guru Ramdas during his life time had developed the holy city Amritsar while facilitating various skilled persons to establish their business and that areas are still existing in Amritsar," he said.

Longowal said that he also appealed to the Indian Railways Station Development Corporation (IRSDC) to review the proposed plan as per the importance of Sikh heritage values. Notably, under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode, the IRSDC is going to revamp the station at a cost of Rs 300 crore. Akal Takht Jathedar Harpreet Singh said that replica of the Golden Temple at the entrance of the railway station must not be removed at the cost of some other insignia,  since religious importance of the city must remain intact.

However, state BJP president Shwait Malik said the matter was being blown out of proportion and one should not give political colour to such issues. 

READ: BJP MP Subramanian Swamy Backs Sanjay Raut's 'courage' Over Indira-don Connection Claim

Advertisement

Published January 16th, 2020 at 15:55 IST

Your Voice. Now Direct.

Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending Quicks

Kerala Nirmal Lottery Sambad Friday Result
a few seconds ago
Black seed oil
a few seconds ago
US Federal Reserve
a few seconds ago
Virat Kohli keeps a close watch on Gautam Gambhir
a few seconds ago
Airbrush Brow Trend: Know Its Benefits, Procedure, And More
4 minutes ago
Congress Press Conference
5 minutes ago
Federal Reserve interest rate decision
5 minutes ago
 Development is BJP's Main Agenda Says Kangana Ranaut As She Launches Campaign In Mandi
7 minutes ago
Dog walking tips
7 minutes ago
Vijay Varma
9 minutes ago
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Rajya Sabha MP Keshava Rao is set to join the Congress party.
15 minutes ago
Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif Meets Country's Youngest Vlogger
16 minutes ago
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Whatsapp logo