India confident of finishing Kartarpur corridor work by October 31

The construction work of the passenger terminal complex at Punjab's Dera Nanak Baba is in full swing. The work has been planned to be completed by October 31 before the commemoration of 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak in November 2019.

New Delhi: Delegates from India and Pakistan will meet at the Attari-Wagah border on Sunday to discuss various issues related to the Kartarpur Corridor, including connectivity to the Zero Point and the number of pilgrims to be allowed there, government sources said on Friday.

According to sources, the construction work of the passenger terminal complex at Dera Nanak Baba, Punjab is in full swing. It has also been informed that to tackle any kind of misadventures from the other side of the border a robust security system has been planned.

The project will allow easy access to Sikh pilgrims from India to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur in Pakistan, the final resting place of Guru Nanak.

"The terminal is being built on around 15 acres of land with comprehensive facilities to cater to approximately 5,000 passengers per day and 10,000 pilgrims on special occasions. The complex will have the robust security systems with CCTV surveillance and other advance security systems and adequate parking space for 10 buses, 250 cars and 250 two-wheelers," MHA sources said.

The work has been planned to be completed by October 31 before the commemoration of 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak in November 2019.

Sources said India is constructing a bridge at the Zero Point and has urged Pakistan to build a similar bridge on its side that will provide safe and secure movement of the pilgrims and address concerns regarding flooding.

The bridge is over a creek, of which the majority part falls in Pakistan.

Pakistan said it would build a mud-filled embankment, a move which would not only lead to flooding in areas on the Indian side but also pose a threat to the structure of the bridge.

The creek floods during the monsoon when the Ravi river swells.

Another proposal put forth by Pakistan was to build a causeway, the sources said, adding that, it was unacceptable to India as it would not provide an all-weather road.

More than Rs 500 crore is being spent for the development of the corridor. More than 250 labourers and 30 engineers are working at the site in three shifts, they said.

The passenger terminal building is being constructed by the Land Ports Authority of India. The work for it was awarded to the Shapoorji Pallonji Group on May 29.

The total cost of the project is Rs 177.5 crore.

In November 2018, Pakistan agreed to set up the border-crossing linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak, to Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab's Gurdaspur district.

Kartarpur is located in Pakistan's Narowal district across the Ravi river, about four km from Dera Baba Nanak.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had on November 26 last year laid the foundation stone of the Kartarpur corridor in Gurdaspur district.

Two days later, the Pakistani prime minister laid the foundation stone of the corridor in Narowal, around 125 km from Lahore.