Punjab CM Amarinder writes to Amit Shah for evacuation of stranded devotees at Nanded

Chandigarh, March 25

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday said he has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to help evacuate devotees who are stranded at the historic Gurdwara Hazur Sahib at Nanded because of the countrywide lockdown.

“Have written to HM @AmitShah ji & Maharashtra CM to facilitate the evacuation of devotees stranded at Nanded Sahib Gurdwara. The pilgrims have been stranded there for long & we owe them safe return to their homes & families,” Singh tweeted.

The chief minister said around 2,000 pilgrims from Punjab had gone to pay obeisance at Gurdwara Hazur Sahib in Nanded in Maharashtra.

“Due to cancellation of trains some days back and the nationwide lockdown imposed since midnight earlier today, there is no possibility of their being brought to Punjab without special approval of Government of India,” Singh wrote in a letter to Shah.

He pointed out that the Punjab government had already written to the railways for plying special trains to evacuate stranded devotees.

“Our offices have been in touch with the district administration of Nanded and I have also written to the Maharashtra chief minister for making suitable interim arrangements for their board and lodging in Nanded,” wrote Singh.

He urged the union minister to facilitate evacuation of devotees through special trains or flights. PTI