No firing incident along border in Punjab: Officials

Chandigarh, May 12 (IANS) No incident of firing along the International Borders in Amritsar and other border districts in Punjab has been reported, officials said on Monday, but all educational institutions will remain closed for one more day.

Debunking news about a blackout in Amritsar, Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said there was no requirement for any siren warning requiring people to stay indoors or a blackout Sunday-Monday night in Amritsar. “The defence authorities regularly update us and immediately alert us regarding the need for a blackout or indoor warning. So will urge people not to panic,” she told the media.

As a precaution, all government, aided and private schools, colleges and universities in Amritsar district will be closed on Monday. The school teachers may take online classes from home. However, no teacher should be called to the school.

A day earlier, Deputy Commissioner Sawhney visited localities and thanked the brave and resilient people of Amritsar. “We are incredibly proud of how each one of you responded with bravery, patience, and trust in one another and in the administration,” she was quoted as saying.

Besides Amritsar, local authorities in Pathankot, border cities of Ferozepur, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran districts, and also in Sangrur, ordered the closure of schools on Monday too.

Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said all educational institutions, including schools, colleges and universities, will reopen from May 12. However, he clarified that Deputy Commissioners in border districts have been authorised to decide whether to open or close schools, based on local circumstances.

Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar on Sunday visited DMC Hospital in Ludhiana to meet victims from Ferozepur who were injured in Pakistani shelling and drone attacks in a village.

Jakhar emphasised the need for collective action. “Given Punjab's strategic location and the economic constraints, especially in terms of disrupted trade, border zone restrictions and heightened security risks, it is imperative that we now pursue a structured and sustained form of the Central (government) support,” he was quoted as saying.

At the all-party meeting on Saturday, attended, among others, by Governor Gulab Chand Kataria and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Jakhar raised the need for a special economic package for Punjab, keeping in mind the continuing losses the state suffered owing to being a border state.

The state BJP president specifically proposed that Punjab should be considered for a special status on the lines of what is extended to states like Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and others that would allow for long-term economic and developmental benefits.

--IANS

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