Shah has acceded to our request to bring pilgrims stranded at Nanded back to Punjab: Capt

Tribune News Service 
Punjab, April 22

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday said Union Home Minister Amit Shah had acceded to their demand to allow Punjab pilgrims stranded at Nanded in Maharashtra to return home.

The CM had urged the Union Home Minister on this after his Maharasthra counterpart had said that the Centre’s permission was required for that.

The Chief Minister had spoken to Maharashtra Chief Minister Udhav Thackery, who had said permission would be needed from the Centre for the return of the stranded pilgrims in view of the national lockdown.

The Punjab Chief Minister then wrote to Shah, urging him to allow the return of the pilgrims, stranded at Gurdwara Sri Nanded Sahib in Maharashtra amid lockdown due to COVID-19, by bus to Punjab.

Meanwhile, Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal thanked Amit Shah for speaking to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for the evacuation of Sikh devotees stranded at the historic Gurdwara Hazur Sahib at Nanded.

The Bathinda MP also asked the Punjab government to permit buses in which devotees were being brought to the state from Maharashtra.

"Came to Delhi to meet HM @AmitShah ji & thank him for speaking to Maharashtra CM today to fast track repatriation of Sikh devotees stranded at Hazur Sahib. Now request Pb govt to give permission to buses arranged by SAD since 3 days to bring them back home at earliest (sic)," Harsimrat tweeted.

Around 2,000 pilgrims from Punjab had gone to pay obeisance at Gurdwara Hazur Sahib in Nanded in Maharashtra before the lockdown was imposed. Due to the cancellation of trains, all devotees were stranded there. With PTI