Evacuation orders to stay until govt issues new instructions: Badal

CHAK ALLAH BAKSH: As border residents continue to feel the heat after orders of evacuation of villages falling 10 kilometres inside the International Border (IB),

CHAK ALLAH BAKSH: As border residents continue to feel the heat after orders of evacuation of villages falling 10 kilometres inside the International Border (IB), Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal said the orders would stay until fresh instructions were issued from the government.

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Badal, who was on a border tour, said, “People were asked to shift back after orders came from the Union government. I understand the problem but orders will stay till the government issues fresh instructions.”

Recalling the service rendered by border residents of the state to the country, Badal also urged the government to start a special recruitment drive for enabling youth from border areas to join the Indian Army and paramilitary forces.

Badal said that the youth of the region were blessed with indomitable spirit of courage and self sacrifice, so efforts must be made to channelise this energy for the nation’s good. Badal was accompanied by revenue, information and public relations minister Bikram Singh Majithia.

Badal reiterated that despite the ongoing tension at the border, farmers would be allowed to harvest their produce at every cost. The chief minister said that he had taken up this issue with the home minister Rajnath Singh, who had immediately directed the Border Security Force (BSF) to allow farmers of the border region to harvest the crop. Likewise, the central government has also allowed those farmers who have land across the fence to reap and lift their crop.

Badal also said the state government would soon release the pending compensation of farmers with land across the border fence.