Pb govt making efforts for release of Sikh prisoners: Badal

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said the SAD-BJP alliance government was making all-out efforts within the parameters of the law, to ensure release of Sikh prisoners, who are languishing in jails across the country after having completed their sentences.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a thanksgiving tour in Dhuri Assembly segment here.
The chief minister said the state government had been making persistent efforts to ensure the release of such prisoners, who were overstaying in jails after having completed their sentences.
Badal said that this was a sensitive issue and the state government was making all-out efforts to deal with the situation arising out of it in an apt manner.

He exhorted the people to properly understand the matter and refrain from getting swayed away by provocations on this emotive issue without verifying the facts.
Law and order would be maintained at every cost and no one would be allowed to disturb the hard-earned peace of the state, he added.

He said the state government was firmly committed to maintain peace and communal harmony in the state for which every necessary action was being taken.
Terming the incident of protest against Cabinet Minister Tota Singh in the US as highly unfortunate, the Chief Minister said that such incidents harm the interest of the state.

He said that people who were not aware of the ground realities were indulging in such activities, which was totally wrong, adding, Punjab has already suffered a lot due to such incidents.
"Do the supporters of these incidents want to bring back the black days in the state," asked Badal.
On the havoc created in the state due to Ghaggar River, the chief minister said that the state government was making concerted efforts to ensure that this grave problem was solved in a year.
Badal said that he had been racking up this issue with the Union government for its early resolution, adding, half of the work of channelisation of this river has already been completed.

He said they would against raise this issue with the Centre to ensure that this project was completed in the coming year so that people could be saved from scourge of Ghaggar's water.
He said that the allegations of former chief minister and Lok Sabha MP Capt Amarinder Singh against him and the state government were "baseless" and were "far away from truth."
"Captain had been levelling such allegations since long but they were totally irrelevant," Badal claimed.