Govt names 41-member HSGMC ad hoc panel

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, August 17

With the Haryana Government nominating a new 41-member House of the ad hoc committee of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee to manage, supervise and take over all assets of gurdwaras in Haryana, it has made it clear that the HSGMC polls are unlikely to be held anytime soon.

While the government has retained 16 members from the previous committee, it has given place to 25 new members in the ad hoc panel. They will continue to manage the affairs of the HSGMC till the constitution of the management committee or the period of 18 months, whichever is earlier.

The government’s decision has come as a setback to the community leaders who had been seeking HSGMC elections. The tenure of the previous ad hoc committee was marred with the controversies and infighting, and it concluded in May-end this year.

Though a notification regarding the gurdwara polls was issued in February, and the election was scheduled for March 6 for all 40 wards across Haryana, it was withdrawn in view of the school examinations till further order.

In the new committee, a maximum of nine members have been included from Sirsa, followed by six each from Kurukshetra and Ambala, five from Karnal, three each from Jind, Yamunanagar, and Panchkula, two each from Kaithal and Faridabad, one each from Fatehabad and Panipat.

Harpal Singh Kamboj from Ambala, who had joined the BJP after quitting the JJP, has also managed to secure a place in the ad hoc committee. Along with outgoing president Bhupinder Singh Assandh, Sudarshan Singh Sehgal, Talvinderpal Singh, Baljeet Singh Daduwal, Ravinder Kaur and Gurmeet Singh Tirlokewala and Jagsir Singh have managed to find place again in the new committee.