Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday said that he has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Udhav Thackeray to facilitate the evacuation of devotees stranded at Nanded Sahib Gurudwara amid the 21-day nationwide lockdown in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak.
"I Have written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to facilitate the evacuation of devotees stranded at Nanded Sahib Gurudwara. The pilgrims have been stranded there for long and we owe them a safe return to their homes & families, "CM Captain Amarinder Singh said.
A press statement from Punjab Chief Minister's office(CMO) said that the Maharashtra government had responded with the assurance that necessary action would be taken to help out the stranded pilgrims.
"According to an official spokesperson, the office of the Maharashtra Chief Minister had conveyed to CMO Punjab that all steps were being taken in this respect. Maharashtra Tourism, Environment and Protocol Minister Aditya Thackeray responded to Captain Amarinder's tweet on the issue with: "Thank you sir @capt_amarinder Ji. Will look into it and do the needful." The Chief Minister had tweeted: "Have written to HM @AmitShah Ji & Maharashtra CM @OfficeofUT to facilitate the evacuation of devotees stranded at Nanded Sahib Gurdwara. The pilgrims have been stranded there for long & we owe them a safe return to their homes & families" statement said.
"Captain Amarinder wrote that owing to the cancellation of trains some days back and the nationwide lockdown imposed since midnight yesterday, there is no possibility to bring them back to Punjab without special approval of the Government of India amid COVID-19," the statement added.
The Punjab Chief Minister pointed out that the state government had already taken up the matter with the Ministry of Railways to allow plying of special trains to evacuate these stranded pilgrims.
"He further wrote that the officers of Punjab Government were in constant touch with the district administration of Nanded for making suitable arrangements for their boarding and lodging. Meanwhile, Captain Amarinder Singh also requested Thackeray to issue necessary instructions to the district administration, Nanded, for making suitable necessary arrangements till such time a final decision is taken by the central government." Statement added.