Identify land for Christian burial grounds, CM to panchayat dept

Chandigarh Responding to the demand of the Christian community for land for graveyards, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday directed rural development

Chandigarh Responding to the demand of the Christian community for land for graveyards, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday directed rural development and panchayats department to identify shamlat (common land) for burial grounds across the state.

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Addressing a delegation of the Christian Welfare Board, Punjab, led by chairman Salamat Masih, Amarinder added that the government was duty-bound to provide land for the burial grounds to the Christian community and the same would be done at the earliest. The delegation also thanked the CM for his personal intervention to divert the proposed new road from the iconic Baring Union Christian College, Batala, ensuring that the institute’s heritage status was preserved, respecting the sentiments of the Christian Community.

The CM promised to look into the community’s other genuine demands, including allocation of funds for overall welfare and facilities to the board for ensuring efficient functioning to fulfil aspirations of Christians in Punjab.

Those present at the meeting included education and PWD minister Vijay Inder Singla; commerce and industries minister Sunder Sham Arora; media adviser to CM Raveen Thukral; MLA Navtej Singh Cheema and principal secretary to CM Tejveer Singh.