Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh today announced that once the Congress party forms government in the state, the solid waste dump in Bhagtanwala, which is in close vicinity of the Darbar Sahab, will be shifted out. “Instead of beautifying the holy city, the Akalis have decided to set up the garbage dump in the heart of it”, he regretted.In a statement issued here today, Capt Amarinder, who represents Amritsar in the parliament, said, it was shocking that the ruling Akali Dal had shown no reverence towards the holy city by insisting on setting up the dump in the close vicinity of the Darbar Sahab.He said, the aerial distance of the dump may be just around one kilometer from the Darbar Sahab that makes it easy for the flies and insects to fly around, besides the foul smell that will come out of it.
The Amritsar MP expressed surprise that while the Akalis were planning to move the garbage dump in Bathinda out of the city, just because Ms Harsimrat Kaur Badal wanted it, they had shown no such respect and regard for the holy city. “Family concerns assume precedence and priority over the public concerns for the Badals”, he observed.The former Chief Minister said, he had already asked Amritsar leaders to identify the alternate space for the garbage dump outside the holy city and it must be at a reasonable distance from Darbar Sahab, so that neither the flies and insects nor foul smile reach there.Capt Amarinder said, he was shocked over the scant respect the Akalis, the Badals in particular, had shown for the sacred sentiments of the people in Amritsar. He also criticised the Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi, who despite being a resident of the holy city himself, did not show any concern for public sentiments.