No political 'misuse' of SGPC funds:Makkar

Amritsar, Nov 25: Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandik Committee (SGPC) president Avtar Singh Makkar today claimed that SGPC funds were never 'mis-utilised for ''promoting the political prospects'' of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) headed by former chief minister Prakash Singh Badal.

''SGPC funds have never been and never will be utilised by the SAD (Badal)'', Jathedar Makkar said while talking to mediapersons soon after his re-election as the SGPC chief, for a second term.

Denying allegations of the Congress and the rival Akali factions on the mis-utlisation of funds, he maintained that the SGPC was a religious organisation. No member of the SGPC would be allowed to mingle in politics, he said while choosing to ignore the political ambitions of some of the SGPC members including former chief Bibi Jagir Kaur.

Jathedar Makkar said that SGPC funds were being utilised for religious purposes including 'dharam prachar'(preaching), welfare and repair of gurdwaras and 'serairs' (rest houses) for pilgrims.

The SGPC had also been at the forefront in imparting education and was running a number of educational institutions, he added.

Refering to the criticism from certain quarters on spending the Committee's money on SAD sponsored functions, he pointed out that the SGPC had organised these functions as they were religious in nature.

Meanwhile the SGPC general house in its meeting earlier unanmiously adopted a resolution calling upon the Union Government to make the necesarry amendements in the Sikh Gurdwara Act of 1932 for coopting Sikh NRIs as members of the SGPC.Provision should be made to coop at least ten NRIs in the general house from countries that have a 'sizeable' Sikh population, including UK, USA, Canada and even Pakistan.

Through another resolution the general house reiterated its demand for setting up a visa centre in Amritsar to fecilitate the pilgrims going to the Sikh holy shrines of Nankana Sahib, Dera Sahib and Panja Sahib which are on the other side of the border.''Staring bus services to Lahore and Nankana Sahib from Amritsar was meaningless, if pilgrims have to go to New Delhi for securing visas'', the resolution stated.

In yet another resolution the SGPC demanded that the Amritsar International airport should be renamed after the fourth Sikh Guru Ram Dass, the founder of the Holy City. The highway linking the airport to the city should be also be named after Guru Ram Dass, the resolution said.

A resolution also called upon the Union Government to use its influence to impress upon the French government to withdraw the ban imposed on Sikh children on the wearing of headgears to school.

Through another resolution the general house expressed concern on the dilapialted state of Sikh shrines in war ravaged Afghanistan and even Bangladesh and said the 'kar sewa' of these gurdwaras should be given to the SGPC.

A resolution calling upon the Union and Punjab governments to speed up the work of beautifying the 30 metre corridor around the Golden Temple and providing suitable space for the parking of vehicles of pilgrims.The beautification plan was taken up in June 1988 and so far three phases had been completed and another two are still left.

UNI