Sukhbir: Pilgrim evacuation plan botched up

Chandigarh, May 1

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Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today asked Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to apologise to the Sikh community for “mismanaging” the repatriation of pilgrims from Hazur Sahib. He also demanded sacking of Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu for not following health guidelines, which had led to a large number of pilgrims testing positive for Covid-19.

The SAD chief alleged that it was unfortunate that the Chief Minister had failed to provide the needed leadership in this hour of crisis and botched up the entire repatriation operation. “The manner in which the government has failed the pilgrims is symptomatic of the way in which it has dealt with each section of society since curfew was imposed in the state”. “First the government allowed the pilgrims to go to their homes on April 24 and 25 and then issued a letter on April 27 directing that they should be quarantined and then only allowed to leave for their homes after due testing. Such mismanagement is directly responsible for the rise in Covid cases,” he alleged. — TNS