Punjab CM orders release of Rs 50 lakh relief to kin of PRTC driver Manjit Singh

Chandigarh, May 9: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday directed the state Finance Department to immediately release compensation of Rs 50 lakh to next of kin of deceased PRTC driver Manjit Singh, a frontline Covid warrior. The previous Congress government had given Rs 10 lakh to the victim family of Manjit Singh, who died of a massive heart attack on April 26, 2020, on his way to Takht Sri Hazur Sahib in Maharashtra to bring back stranded devotees stranded amid the Covid-19 induced lockdown. This led to statewide protests by the Punjab wing of the AAP seeking Rs 50 lakh as compensation for the family of driver Manjit Singh. Also Read| Khalistani flags found tied on main gate of Himachal Assembly Notably, the AAP under the leadership of Bhagwant Mann at that time had strongly protested against the former Congress government’s "apathy" and demanded Rs 50 lakh for the family of 38-year old driver, who hailed from Badbar village of Barnala district. Notably, Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) had dispatched a fleet of 32 buses, including Volvo Scania and HVAC buses, to Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, Nanded, Maharashtra, to bring back pilgrims stranded in the state due to the lockdown imposed in wake of Covid-19. PRTC driver Manjit Singh suffered a heart attack near Indore. The PRTC Chairman had confirmed about the development in a video. Also Read | Dr. Inderbir Singh Nijjar wins Chief Khalsa Diwan presidential election -PTC News