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Coronavirus scare: Footfall remains unaffected at Golden Temple, Kartarpur Corridor
Two positive coronavirus cases have been detected in Amritsar
Even as two positive coronavirus cases were detected in Amritsar, the footfall at the Golden Temple remained unaffected.
Moreover, incessant rain from the last two days also failed to deter arrival of devotees and visitors. Beside huge number of devotees from different parts of the country, foreign tourists were also seen thronging the Golden Temple.
Golden Temple head manager Jaswinder Singh Deenpur said daily average of footfall is 1 lakh devotees and it was even more on Saturday. He said the number is increasing due to Holi ahead.
Similarly, pilgrimage to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib via Kartarpur Corridor also saw no dip in devotees visiting the last resting place of Guru Nanak in Pakistan.
As per the data shared by an official posted at the corridor passenger terminal, as many as 580 pilgrims took the corridor on weekend. He said this is normal footfall on the weekend.
On Wednesday 314 pilgrims took the corridor, 437 devotees used the corridor on Thursday while 360 pilgrims were recorded on Friday.
Notably at the Golden Temple, very few visitors were seen wearing masks. Some visitors, primarily from other states, sought masks and sanitisers from the persons doing sewa at Joda ghar (shoe stores) of the shrine.
However, neither the state health department nor the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has made arrangements to provide masks to the devotees. The department has set up flu corners outside the shrine to create awareness about the virus.
“Special attention is being made for sanitation arrangements in the gurdwara and the SGPC is also cooperating with the health department to address any exigencies. An isolation ward and ICU have also been established in the SGPC-run Sri Guru Ram Das Hospital here,” said Roop Singh, SGPC chief secretary, adding, “The sangat is paying obeisance with same zeal and there was no impact of Covid-19.”
First nagar kirtan crosses over to Pak through corridor
In a first since opening of Kartarpur Corridor, a grand nagar kirtan dedicated to the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak crossed over to Pakistan through the corridor on Saturday. It culminated at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur.
The procession that was organised by a Sri Mukatsar Sahib-based religious body ‘Nirol Sewa Sanstha’started from Sultanpur Lodhi (Kapurthala) on Saturday. Led by Panj Pyaras (five beloved ones of the Guru), the nagar kirtan reached Dera Baba Nanak on Friday evening. After a night stay, it left for Kartarpur gurdwara. Apart from hundreds of devotees, saroop of Guru Granth Sahib, Panj Pyaras and five nishan sahib (Sikh flags) crossed over to Pakistan after permission from authorities of India and Pakistan, said Jagdeep Singh Sidhu, one of volunteers of the organisation. The Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) also sent a special bus to receive saroop of Guru Granth Sahib.
