Jatha with 8,000 cattle to arrive today, face-off with admn likely

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Sultanpur Lodhi, November 14

After the celebrations of the 550th Gurpurb of Guru Nanak, a Nihang jatha from Baba Bakala has set off for the holy town along with over 8,000 cattle reared by it, leaving the administration and locals worried.

The jatha, which along with its herd visits the town annually around Guru Nanak’s Gurpurb, is expected to reach here on Friday evening. The administration and locals are upset this time as they apprehend that the cattle could mar the beautification projects and ransack the massive plantation done here recently. The jatha (which was led by Baba Pala Singh, popularly known as Gaian Wala Baba, who passed away last year) is of the belief that animals should be treated equally and they too have the right to pay obeisance in the holy town on the occasion of Gurpurb.

While the jatha reaches the town every year two days prior to the Gurpurb and spends about four to five days here, it is coming after the celebrations because of the much-higher footfall this time. There can be a face off this time as the administration is in no mood to let the jatha in. The jatha is currently led by Baba Baghirath, heir of Baba Pala Singh.

Kulwant Singh, a shopkeeper, rued, “Each time the jatha visits the town, cattle become a nuisance. The animals enter all parks and leave them all soiled. The roads get blocked and commuters face a lot of problems. We have to keep the animals away from our fields using sticks. If they enter any field, the entire crop gets damaged. The administration must do something about keeping the herd away this time.”

Congress MLA Navtej Cheema too is of the view that the cattle in such a large number should not be allowed in the town, “We cannot let our new structures and plantations get trampled. We have planted 550 saplings in each village of Sultanpur Lodhi, which will be in danger.”