AMRITSAR: After a lapse of several years, the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) is showing signs of improved financial health.

The marked increase in the earnings at the Golden Temple and other Sikh shrines under its control in the recent months is helping the SGPC to slowly but steadily come out of the financial crisis it has been facing for the past six years. The offerings at the Golden Temple, which contributes nearly 50 percent to the total revenue of the committee, has surpassed that of the pre Operation Bluestar days. Mr. Manjit Singh Calcutta said in an interview to the reporters…

Mr. Manjit Singh said before Operation Black Thunder when the shrine was under the influences of insurgents the number of devotees visiting the holiest of holy shrines had virtually been a trickle. With the result, offerings had dwindled, The closing down of the shrine for over a month after Operation Black Thunder and strict checking by the security forces kept the devotees at bay.

However, with the gradual normalization of the situation in and around the shrine, coupled with concerted efforts of the SGPC, the flow of devotees to the shrine had picked up. Several religious functions were organized to attract the devotees and dispel their fears and doubts, Mr. Manjit Singh pointed out

By the end of August the daily offerings at the sanatorium was about Rs 8000 but the same trebled to Rs 24,000 in December, which is considered to be a lean season so far as devotees are concerned,

The SGPC, which had a backlog over the payment of salaries for several months after Operation Black Thunder, had paid the salaries to its employees numbering around 5,000. 22 lakh to be returned

Mr. Manjit Singh disclosed that the Government had agreed in principle to hand over to the SGPC about Rs. 22 lakhs which was recovered from the Golden Temple during Operation Bluestar and Black Thunder. The money was sealed by the Government and it was after persistent pursuing of the claim that the money was being returned to the SGPC, he said,

Insurance companies had also cleared claims running into about Rs 10 lakh for SGPC vehicles burnt during the 1984 operation.

In view of the quarter centenary celebrations of the Golden Temple, the Government has agreed to supply electricity on a no profit, no loss basis to the complex.

The SGPC finances, Mr. Manjit Singh observed, had also suffered badly due to the Government ban on donations to the SGPC from Sikhs settled abroad.

Asserting that SGPC funds were used only for philanthropist purposes, he maintained that the ban on the flow of donations from abroad and the restriction on grant of visas to Sikhs to visit Punjab were serving no purpose. It would be better if people from abroad were allowed to visit the State and see the things themselves to dispel any misconception they had in their mind The SGPC was pursing the demand for lifting restrictions on foreign donations to the Golden Temple and a chain of welfare institutions run by the SGPC.

The SGPC Secretary said care was being taken to plug the leakage of funds and their misuse. The SGPC now employed four times more staff than it actually required. Though a blanket ban had been imposed by the SGPC on further recruitment the surplus staff could not be retrenched as they had been recruited from among the needy.

Another drag on SGPC revenue was the huge amount being spent for pursuing the cases of Army deserters and Sikh detainees. Now the SGPC was concentrating on rehabilitating the released Jodhpur detainees who had not been extended any help contrary to the assurances given by the Punjab Government.

Article extracted from this publication >>  January 27, 1989