DERA BABA NANAK (Gurdaspur): Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla along with other senior officials held a meeting on Monday with representatives of Punjab government to take stock of the Kartarpur corridor project here.
The meeting was attended by Punjab minister Sukhjinder Randhawa, Chief Minister’s Chief Principal Secretary Suresh Kumar, Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta and other officials from the state side, an official release said.
BSF DG Vivek Jori and Chairman of Land Port Authority of India Gobind Mohan, were also part of the meeting, it said.
Kartarpur Sahib is located in Pakistan’s Narowal district across the Ravi River, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine.
In a major initiative last November, both India and Pakistan had agreed to set up the Kartarpur corridor.
The corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district of Punjab and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian pilgrims, who will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib, established in 1522 by Sikh faith founder Guru Nanak Dev.
The corridor will be thrown open to pilgrims in November this year to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
During meeting, concerned officials were directed to complete work related to Kartarpur corridor within fixed time frame.
The representatives of the company, Shapoorji Pallonji, undertaking the construction work at the corridor, assured the delegation that all works would be completed by the October 31.
The members also inspected the development centric projects at the International border between India and Pakistan after which they held a meeting with the officers at the Integrated Check Post (ICP) and took stock of the progress in the works going on there.
During the meeting, deliberations were held with regard to the inauguration of the the corridor to be done by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November.
The officers also visited the spot where the Prime Minister is scheduled to address a rally beside the site near the Indo-Pak border, the release said.
The Cooperation minister Randhawa said the preparations concerning the 550th 550th ‘Prakash Purb’ of Guru Nanak Dev are going on in full swing and a tented city has been erected for the stay of the ‘Sangat’ (Sikh community).
The arrangements with regard to the ‘pandal’ and the parking are also being made apart from the ones aimed at ferrying devotees from parking to the ‘pandal’.
The minister reassured that no stone would be left unturned to ensure the comfort of the devotees.
He also added that the purpose of meeting was to ensure that the preparations, to be made before the inauguration of the Kartarpur corridor, are made well in time.
Randhawa also said the officers of the Land Port Authority have been told that by October 31, the works concerning the National Highway and the Integrated Check Post would be completed in the aftermath of which the PM would perform the inauguration ceremony.
Randhawa said the state government has made arrangements for the facilitation of the devotees expected from country and abroad.
He also added that the devotees would have to apply 30 days in advance for visiting Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan.
There would be no stamping on the passport and only the permit would be issued, he said. PTI
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