Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee has started “Langar on wheels”
New Delhi: Carrying forward the Sikh tradition of serving langar (community kitchen) beyond the walls of gurdwaras, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee has started “Langar on wheels” (community kitchen) at around 10 location on Delhi Borders and NCR areas like Noida, Ghaziabad, Seelam puri, Sahadra areas etc for providing food and water to the migrant labourers walking back to their villages from metro cities to ensure they get nutritious, healthy and fresh food and water on the way back to their homes said Manjinder Singh Sirsa President Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee here today. He said that Mobile Langars is being served to around 10,000(ten thousand) homebound migrant labour going by walk along the main roads connecting from New Delhi to UP areas nearer to the inter-state check posts. He said that mobile langar vans with banners highlighting food and water arrangements for standard migrant workers are stationed at different places and all the needy are asked to partake langar while sitting in a nearby convenient place maintaining social distancing and food packets and water bottles are provided to them for use during journey time.
He said that decision to start “Langar on Wheels “has been taken due to fact that it was impractical for most of the desperate migrant labourers hitchhiking rides to reach home to find the nearest Gurdwara and so we decided to go where the people are.
He said that as per Sikh traditions “The langar system at the gurdwaras is meant to teach us sharing,” “But the real sharing happens when we go out into the community and go where the need is.
He said that each Langar Van leaves Gurdwara Bangla Sahib around 9 am morning and ensures that all food material is distributed to the needy people. We rush additional supply in case if there is additional demand at any place.
He said that besides it the volunteers of DSGMC are distributing food packets to railways passengers in Shramik Trains at New Delhi Railways Station, Old Delhi Railways Station, Nizammudin, Anand Vihar Railways station, etc, etc depending on the route of the train and demand for the food packets.
He said that DSGMC has set up food counter at New Delhi Railways station at the request of Indian Railways to provide free drinking water, Juices, and biscuit packets to the migrant workers travelling in Shramik Trains to their native place and said that DSGMC Volunteers will also provide further support and assistance to railways if any such request is made by railways authorities.
He said that these Juices/ biscuit packets /Water bottles are being distributed to each and every needy passenger irrespective of caste, creed, or religion, and additional Juice/ packets /Water bottles if required by any passengers, is also being provided to them to make their journey comfortable.
He made an appeal to all religious institutions in the country to come forward to contribute generously, both in terms of food and welfare, to help the country. during the epidemic to fight hunger and utilize sizable pools of funds and resources for social and economic development, to make a dent on poverty.
In a statement released here today, Mr Sirsa said that he has learnt from media reports that there are huge reserves of gold and a huge amount of money with the religious institutions and places of South India. He said that it is high time that they utilize this gold and cash reserve to help the poor.
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) President Mr Manjinder Singh Sirsa has called upon Religious Institutions of the country to come to the rescue of poor and downtrodden and help them in this crisis period of CoronaVirus.