India approves Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur as Zero Point for Kartarpur corridor
Indian government has approved construction of a modern Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) Complex.
LAHORE (Dunya News) – India has established and approved Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur as the coordinates of Zero Point (crossing point) for the opening of the Kartarpur corridor along the International Border with Pakistan, according to sources.
It has been decided to establish the Kartarpur corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district in Punjab to the International Border.
Moreover, the Indian government has approved construction of a modern Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) Complex at Kartarpur Sahib Corridor. Facilities for Sikh pilgrims will be installed in the PTB complex.
It will be developed over 50 acres for which the process of land acquisition has already commenced. The first phase includes 15 acres of project that has been already initiated. 5,000 visitors will be accommodated for customs and immigration services.
The PTB Complex will have all the necessary passenger amenities to facilitate pilgrims intending to visit the Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib on the Pakistani side.
In the second phase, a hospital and accomodation for temporary staying will be built.
On November 26 last year, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu laid the foundation stone of the Dera Baba Nanak – Kartarpur Sahib Corridor (up to the International Border) at an event at Mann village of Gurdaspur district of Punjab. On November 28, Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone for the four-kilometre corridor which is expected to be completed by 2019.
The much-awaited corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur – the final resting place of Sikh faith’s founder Guru Nanak Dev – with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Gurdaspur district and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims, who will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib.
