Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh will lead an all-party delegation across the border to Sri Kartarpur Sahib on the opening day of the Corridor on November 9.The Chief Minister made the announcement while reviewing the progress of the various works related to the 550th Prakash Purb Celebrations at the historic town of Dera Baba Nanak. This was his second review meeting in a week.The delegation that will accompany the Chief Minister to the historic gurdwara would comprise all 117 Punjab MLAs, state Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs, SGPC members, as well as members of Sant Samaaj and representatives of each recognised state political party.During the review meeting, Captain Amarinder also announced that the Dera Baba Nanak road leading to Old Gurdwara Sahib towards the Corridor would be named after Kuldeep Singh Wadala.Reiterating the fact that the grand occasion was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all to be part of such a memorable event, Captain Amarinder asked the Finance Minister to ensure regular outflow of funds for all projects connected with the celebration. If necessary, he could even cut the financial allocation of any other department, the Chief Minister told the Finance Minister. The Chief Minister has asked the Financial Commissioner Revenue to freeze the budget, by Thursday, of all the high-level events planned at Dera Baba Nanak to commemorate the momentous occasion. He also directed the Chief Secretary to finalise the schedule of activities to be held at all the three historic towns and put it in public domain by 1st of October.
Underlining the need to disseminate all necessary information regarding the main events, the Chief Minister asked the State Organising Committee to prepare a detailed audio visual campaign to enable the devotees to plan their journey in advance. He directed the department to also design an information handbook detailing all events for the facilitation of the devotees.Regarding the tented city being put up at Dera Baba Nanak, the Chief Minister directed the Principal Secretary Tourism to ensure complete coordination between all departments to ensure smooth arrangements for the lakhs of pilgrims expected to visit the historic Gurdwara Sahib to pay their obeisance during the historic occasion.Earlier, the Principal Secretary Local Government informed the meeting that Rs 271 Crores had been approved for Dera Baba Nanak by the Government of India under the Smart City Project. Deputy Commissioner Gurdaspur informed the meeting that work was in full swing to ensure all amenities and facilities for the devotees.Prominent amongst others who attended the meeting included Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Cooperation and Jails Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Rural Development Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Media Advisor to CM Raveen Thukral, Chief Principal Secretary to CM Suresh Kumar, Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary Kalpana Mittal Baruah, Principal Secretary Finance Anirudh Tewari, Principal Secretary Local Government A Venu Prasad, Principal Secretary Tourism Vikas Partap Singh, Secretary Public Relations Gurkirat Kirpal Singh, and DC Gurdaspur Vipul Ujjwal.