Daily Times

LAHORE: The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) on Sunday said that despite a two-year delay in completion of the Amrit Jal extraction project, they are hopeful of accomplishing the targets in near future.

In September 2016, the then Chairman ETPB Siddiqul Farooq had announced the project of extraction and export of the Amrit Jal – water from a pond in Nankana Sahib Gurdwara held sacred by the Sikhs – but it is yet to be implemented. Moreover, the ETPB had also conducted several meetings over the matter with Sikh leaders.

It was also decided that a water filtration plant would be installed for extraction of the water, while Rs 2 from each bottle of the Amrit Jal would be donated to Gurdwara Sahiban for its reservation.

Despite the delays, the ETPB officials are hopeful that the project would soon reach its successful conclusion.

On April 3, 2,000 Sikh pilgrims from India were granted visas to commemorate birth of Khalsa, which is also commonly known as Baisakhi, at Hasan Abdal’s Panja Sahib Gurdwara.

The pilgrims will commence their journey on April 12 via special trains and will reach Lahore’s Wahga Railway Station. From there, the 2,000 visitors will be taken to Hasan Abdal’s Panja Sahib Gurdwara under stern security.

Speaking to the media, representatives of the Pakistani Embassy in India said that all applications filed by the Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee for the issuance of the visa have been accepted.

The pilgrims would be allowed to take a designated quantity of the Amrit Jal from the pond in Nankana Sahib.