SRI ANANDPUR SAHIB AUGUST 4: Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal accompanied by his Media Adviser today visited Sri Anandpur Sahib and met all those who were injured in yesterday’s tragic stampede at Mata Naina Devi shrine. Meanwhile, the death toll in the tragedy has risen to 145 out of whom 129 bodies had been identified. Out of these 104 belongs to Punjab, 15 to Haryana and 10 to Himachal Pradesh. 16 bodies are yet to be identified. The maximum causalities 50, were reported from the Patiala district.
According to Mr. Harcharan Bains, the Chief Minister was also scheduled to visit the site of accident in Naina Devi but was informed by the Himachal Pradesh authorities that all the injured had been shifted from there to the hospital at Anandpur Sahib. Mr. Badal stayed at Sri Anandpur Sahib for two hours and visited the hospital to enquire the well being of all the injured admitted there and also shred his sympathies with the families of the hapless victims of the tragedy. The Chief Minister also assured the victims that the state government would bear the entire expenditure on their treatment and directed the district administration to make adequate arrangements to refer the injured either to PGI or some super-specialty medical institutes even outside the state as per the advice of the doctors attending on them.
Later, Mr. Badal also visited the Gurdwara Takhat Sri Keshgarh Sahib to offer his prayers to give strength and courage to the members of the bereaved families to bear this irreparable loss and grant peace to the departed souls. Arambh of Sri Akhand Path Sahib would be held here tomorrow in the memory of the deceased and for the speedy recovery of the injured.
It may be recalled here that the Chief Minister had already announced an ex-gratia grant of Rs.1 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased, besides Rs.50,000 and Rs.25,000 for the seriously injured and injured respectively.
Talking to the media persons, Mr. Badal called for effective arrangements to be ensured especially in view of such special occasions where large number of devotes were likely to converge at these holy shrines. He also mentioned that the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee had also assured to extend all possible help to the victims of the tragedy.
MLA Sri Anandpur Sahib Baba Ajit Singh and President Youth Akali Dal Mr.Kiranbir Singh Kang also accompanied the Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, President Shiromani Akali Dal Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal also directed the President of the Youth wing of SAD Kiranbir Singh Kang to gear up the volunteers of the Youth Akali Dal to provide maximum help to the victims and the next of their kin in this hour of crisis.