Sangrur, July 10
In what can be viewed as a gesture to maintain communal harmony, Muslim families of Malerkotla have started sending tonnes of wheat to the Golden Temple in Amritsar to help the authorities, who are grappling with the problem of ration to run the community kitchen.
On Thursday evening, the families sent two trucks carrying 330 quintals of wheat to the Harmandir Sahib. In the coming days, more such consignments are expected to be delivered.
“Given that lakhs of devotees come go the gurdwara every day, our contribution is very small. We want to contribute as much as we can to help the authorities in running the community kitchen. After we came to know that the authorities are facing trouble due to lack of ration supply, we decided to help,” Dr Naseer Akhtar, president, Sikh Muslim Sanjha foundation, told The Tribune.
Members of the foundation had started collecting wheat around 22 days ago, and got an overwhelming response. Every house they visited donated wheat.
“We purchased wheat from the money that some families had donated, which had amounted to Rs 1.50 lakh. Dubai-based businessman and philanthropist Surinder Pal Singh Oberoi, along with Takht Patna Sahib Jathedar Ranjit Singh, flagged off the trucks carrying wheat. We are planning to send more wheat in the coming days with the help of area residents,” said Mohd Parvez, another member of the foundation.
SP Manjit Singh Brar, who was also present, said Malerkotla had always set an example of communal harmony for the country. “Muslim families have done great work. We all should help one another to defeat the virus,” said the SP.