Khuralgarh to be developed as pilgrimage centre: Badal

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said Khuralgarh, a sacred place associated with Guru Ravidass, would be developed as a pilgrimage centre.
He made the announcement while addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone of Guru Ravidass memorial here in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and religious preachers.
The Chief Minister said the memorial being built as tribute to Guru Ravidass would act as a "lighthouse" to perpetuate his life and teachings.
He said Guru Ravidass was an exponent of Bhakti movement and a messiah of the poor and downtrodden. He espoused leading a virtuous and noble life, Badal said, adding, his life and philosophy still continues to guide humanity towards an egalitarian society.

The Chief Minister said the memorial would be an architectural marvel which once completed would have a spacious congregation hall which can accommodate ten thousand pilgrims and a state-of-the art auditorium, with a capacity for 500 people, and equipped with audio-visual aids to showcase the Guru's life and works.
Badal said the hallmark of this memorial would be a tall structure called 'Minar-e-Begampura' which would be 151 feet high.

Reaffirming his commitment to the overall development and welfare of the underprivileged sections of the society, the Chief Minister said the SAD-BJP government alone could safeguard their rights.
Enumerating schemes launched by the government for the weaker sections, Badal said other political parties, especially the Congress, "exploited" this section as their votebank but "never bothered" to do anything tangible for their growth and prosperity.

He said the state government has undertaken several projects like Virasat-e-Khalsa, Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath, the upcoming Jang-e-Azadi memorial and War Heroes memorial to showcase the contribution of Punjabis to the national freedom struggle and role of brave soldiers in defending the country.
Badal, however, defended the Centre's directive of
evacuating the border dwellers in Punjab.
He said it was wrong to compare Punjab with other border states as it was far more densely populated.
Notably, Punjab shares 553-KM border with Paksitan and six districts in the state lie close to the IB.
The residents in nearly 1,000 villages which fall within 10 KM radius of International Border were asked to evacuate the region following the Centre's advisory in view of apprehension of retaliation from Pakistani side after the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC).

A number of villagers had refused to leave their homes on the grounds that they need to tend to their crops and cattle and also look after their properties.
Addressing the public gatherings in village Tendiwala, Hazara Singh Wala and Ghazniwala today, the Punjab Chief Minister exhorted the people to not get misled by the "malicious propaganda unleashed by opposition parties on the issue of evacuation."
He said the safety and security of people was the prime concern of the state government, which made them follow the advice of the Union Government to evacuate the border area.
Recalling the "great service" rendered by border residents of the state to the country, the Chief Minister urged the Centre to start a special recruitment drive for enabling the youth of such areas to join the forces.

He said that he would soon raise this issue with the Union government.
The Chief Minister added that in order to ensure prompt and hassle-free procurement and lifting of paddy from the border regions, the state government has decided to appoint special officers to facilitate the farmers of this region.