SGPC rebuts punjab CM's charge over GMC construction

Amritsar, January 2

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The SGPC has refuted CM Bhagwant Mann’s claims that the Sikh body is scuttling the move of constructing a medical college in Sangrur district.

Showing a resolution of an SGPC executive committee meeting held on November 22, 2022, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said the SGPC had invited the government for a dialogue to resolve the dispute of the land to pave the way for the new medical college, but in vain.

“We haven’t received a positive response till date. The SGPC has always intended to provide quality medical facilities to people. We are still open for discussion on the issue. Instead of indulging in blame game, if the CM was serious about raising a medical college, he should have accepted the invitation of the SGPC to understand the legal implications and discuss ways to resolve the matter amicably,” he said.

The CM had laid the stone of the Sant Attar Singh State Institute of Medical Sciences at Mastuana Sahib in Sangrur district on August 5, 2022. Yet, the chunk of land, in the possession of the SGPC, has been entangled in legal dispute since 1970s.

Under the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, the SGPC was authorised to manage Gurdwara Angitha Sahib, Akal Sagar, Mastuana (Sangrur), and its land. This was notified by the government on September 4, 1964.