Kartarpur Corridor: 5 yrs on, key promises remain unfulfilled
Initially, the Kartarpur corridor remained operational for only four months before the governments of both countries closed it in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. After a long wait of 20 months, the corridor was finally opened for the pilgrims on November 17, 2021, ahead of Guru Nanak’s Parkash Gurpurb falling on November 19.
Though opening of the trans-border Kartarpur Corridor fulfilled the long-cherished dream of the Indian Sikh community to have darshan of the last resting place of Guru Nanak in Pakistan and it was globally hailed as ‘corridor of peace’ in south Asia, many promises regarding the corridor are still unfulfilled even after five years.
Dedicated to the 550th Parkash Gurpurb (birth anniversary) of Guru Nanak, the corridor was inaugurated by the Prime Ministers of both India and Pakistan on November 9, 2019, amid much fanfare to provide Indian devotees visa-free access to the shrine. Separated during the Partition, lots of family members were even reunited at the corridor.
Initially, the corridor remained operational for only four months before the governments of both countries closed it in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. After a long wait of 20 months, the corridor was finally opened for the pilgrims on November 17, 2021, ahead of Guru Nanak’s Parkash Gurpurb falling on November 19.
It remained in operation for three years and four months. In this period, nearly 3,44,000 pilgrims used this corridor to pay obeisance at the shrine, which is called Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur, and is just 4 km from the International Border. As per officials, an average of 400 pilgrims visit the gurdwara daily.
Though India asked Pakistan to allow 5,000 pilgrims daily and 10,000 on special days, the average daily count of the pilgrims remained much lower than this count. The Sikh bodies blamed the condition of passport, complex procedure for getting permission, and the $20 fee charged by Pakistan for the low turnout of the pilgrims. The SGPC general house recently passed a resolution seeking exemption from carrying passport and fee, besides on arrival permission to the pilgrims.
Baba Sukhdeep Singh Bedi, one of the descendants of Guru Nanak, said, “A large number of people want to visit Kartarpur Sahib through this corridor, but the procedure of getting the permission is very tough. For example, a pilgrim gets confirmation of the permission just two or three days before the date of pilgrimage. If he or she belongs to distant places like Kolkata, how could he or she reach here in this short period? In this period, a pilgrim from a distant state cannot book the flight. He or she cannot book it in advance without confirmation because ticket money is not refunded before two-three days in case his plea is rejected. The confirmation should be made at least 10 days ago”.
Both the countries renewed the bilateral agreement on the corridor for five more years a few days ago but did not address the concerns of the pilgrims who say that the agreement should have been revised considering the demands.
Project executed partially
The existing infrastructure or facilities at the corridor, especially on the Indian side, is part of the Phase 1 of the mega project. Apart from the roads, bridge and passenger terminal-cum-integrated check post (ICP) were constructed at the opening of the corridor in Phase 1.
In the second phase, hotels, sarais, hospitals, residential flats for the employees, etc. were proposed to be constructed on 50 acres. It was stated by the officials at that time that the construction of these establishments would take around two years. However, not even a single brick was laid in the second phase.
When contacted, officials of the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) expressed ignorance about the execution of the second phase.
Dera Baba Nanak’s fate remains same
The fate of the historic border town of Dera Baba Nanak, which remained neglected for the last 70 years and is linked to the gurdwara through this corridor, remains unchanged even as the town has emerged on the world map due to the international corridor.
Associated with Guru Nanak and his family, this town was known as a prominent town and a trading hub before the Partition. Owing to its location along the border, the town lacks development, despite historic gurdwaras, including Gurdwara Darbar Sahib and Gurdwara Chola Sahib, being situated there.
Two months before the opening of the corridor, the then Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh had conducted a special meeting of the cabinet in the town and sanctioned ₹75.23 crore for widening and strengthening of the major roads leading to this town. Another major project that was announced by the then CM was the construction of a heritage street at the cost of ₹3.70 crore, aimed at giving fillip to religious tourism.
Barring national highways, some key roads leading to the corridor are not in good condition. Even after five years, the main road connecting Amritsar city to the corridor via Fatehgarh Churian continues to be in dilapidated condition and is turning into an accident-prone stretch. The road was planned to be widened by 33 feet at the cost of ₹88 crore. A part of this road has been widened but its condition is still bad. Commuters mostly avoid this road to go to Dera Baba Nanak.
The main market of Dera Baba Nanak was proposed to be beautified under the heritage street project. This project took many years to be executed. However, there is no beautification or facelift. The entire market turns into a pond during the rainy season due to the poor drainage system, said the locals.
In 2019, the Dera Baba Nanak Development Authority (DBNDA) was constituted to ensure holistic development of the historic town, but nothing has been done.
After the announcement of the corridor, the real estate prices in the area have risen tenfold. Even big hoteliers from Delhi and Mumbai expressed interest in investing here and they made contact with the local people and farmers. It was expected that hotels and restaurants would be opened near the corridor. However, nothing materialised. Local small businesses have not seen any sizable progress.
Dera Baba Nanak municipal council’s former president Perneet Singh Bedi said, “Infrastructure was developed for the corridor, but the government did nothing for the development of this historic town. The government constructed roads leading to the passenger terminal bypassing this town. The town was not connected to the corridor. Most of the pilgrims are not aware of the Sikh shrines in this town”.
“As a bus operator, I expected a boom in my business, but we did not witness any sizable growth in the revenue over these years,” said Chaudhri Manan, an owner of transport company which runs private buses from Amritsar to Dera Baba Nanak.
Long wait for bridge on Zero Line
The zero point on the corridor is situated in a low-lying area, which is vulnerable due to flooding in the nearby Ravi river. In view of its vulnerability, India constructed a portion of the bridge on its territory, but Pakistan is yet to construct the same. In the absence of a bridge on the Pak side, a causeway was provided along the bridge area as passage for the movement of the pilgrims.
Though Pakistan took around five years to construct a 420-metre-long bridge on its side, the bridge has not been opened yet for the movement of the pilgrims.