ANANDPUR SAHIB—Washington based Sikh organization EcoSikh has appealed to the Punjab Government and to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to work towards making the holy city of Sri Anandpur Sahib eco-friendly, and sustainable, as the preparations are underway to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the city beginning on June 19, 2014. Ninth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Tegh Bahadur, purchased the land in 1665 and established the city, which is visited by thousands of devotees from all over the world every day. The city ihouses Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, one of five seats of high authority in Sikhism, as well as many other shrines related to the 9th and 10th Gurus of the Sikhs.
Dr. Rajwant Singh, President of EcoSikh, said, “Anandpur Sahib should be declared a green city, and further development of this sacred city should be based on sustainable planning. Anandpur Sahib should be preserved as our natural heritage, and its original and tranquil atmosphere should be protected for the coming generations. Construction around the sacred sites including Takht Sahib should be restricted, and it should be regulated. Too many buildings and sarais are making it a concrete jungle, rather than a serene natural environment. Rain water harvesting, waste water management, garbage disposal and sanitation, solar based energy production, and pollution free public transportation, should become priorities.”
Dr. Rajwant Singh added, “Gurdwara Patalpuri Sahib has hundreds of acres of land under cultivation. This land can easily be converted for herbal production through organic methods. Turmeric, Aloe Vera, and Amla, are top commercial crops these days. A few acres (less than 10) of land for Turmeric can serve nearly all the Anandpur Sahib Gurdwaras, and its langar (sacred food service) needs. A very low cost food processing unit can be established. There is popular trend all over the world on herbal, and alternate medicine, and this area of economic development should be explored.”
Ranjodh Singh, Punjab Convener of EcoSikh, said, “Punjab Government should declare Anandpur Sahib Plastic free, and this declaration should happen before June 19th. All governmental agencies should enforce this law just as it is regulated in Chandigarh, and neighboring state of Himachal Pradesh. Why can we not have similar initiatives in Punjab? Chemicals leaching out of these petroleum based products like Styrofoam is detrimental to the ecosystem of this sacred location.”
He further added, “In addition, we would like to appeal to all deras (religious centers) to serve langar in biodegradable products such as pattal, paper, or kasore (earthen pots), and not use plastic. They should also clean the area after the langar, just as enthusiastically as they serve the langar. We also appeal Takht Sri Kesgarh authorities to create plans for cleaning and preserving nature in sacred Anandpur Sahib, for generations to come.”
EcoSikh is working with national and international organizations to bring technology and planning to make Nanded housing Takht Hazur Sahib, a eco-friendly and sustainable city. On June 27th, EcoSikh, through its Eco-Amritsar program, is celebrating the 437th Amritsar Foundation Day in collaboration with many religious, and civic organizations in Amritsar to create awareness about long term ecology of the holy city.
