Chandigarh/Bathinda, April 25: On the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, 80 buses were dispatched on Saturday from here to bring back the stranded pilgrims at Takht Sri Hazur Sahib (Nanded). Punjab Finance Minister Mr. Manpreet Singh Badal encouraged the staff, who were going to bring back the pilgrims.
Mr. Manpreet Singh Badal said that these AC buses of Punjab Roadways and PRTC were being sent by the state government to bring back the pilgrims and the entire cost would be borne by the state.
He said that three drivers, one conductor and one policeman have been deployed in each bus. One bus would cover a distance of more than 3300 km in up-down. Notably, due to sudden lockdown around 3200 pilgrims from Punjab were stranded at Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, Nanded.
Urging the drivers, conductors and police personnel to take every necessary precautions during the journey, Mr. Badal said, “It is a challenging time for all of us but I am confident that we will overcome this challenge with our enthusiasm, passion and discipline.”
The Minister said that the return of these pilgrims has been arranged by the Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh in consultation with the Union Government and Maharashtra Government.
Giving his personal number to the Nodal Officer, Mr. Badal said that in case of any obstruction on the way, he may contact him immediately so that the pilgrims would not face any difficulty in returning home.
On this occasion, RTA Udaideep Singh, GM PRTC Raman Sharma and GM Punjab Roadways Jaswinder Singh Chahal were also present.
