E-Paper
Pakistani team to meet Indian authorities at Dera Baba Nanak for building bridge in Kartarpur Corridor
The engineers will discuss the construction of a bridge on a low-lying stretch near the border on the Pakistan side besides surveying the bridge constructed on the Indian side
Amritsar: A team of 10 Pakistani engineers will cross over to India at 11am on Thursday to meet officials of the Border Security Force (BSF), National Highway of India (NHAI) and Land Port Authority of India (LPAI) at Dera Baba Nanak town of Gurdaspur district and discuss the construction of a bridge in the Kartarpur Corridor.
According to official sources, the engineers will discuss the construction of a bridge on a low-lying stretch near the border on the Pakistan side. They will also conduct a survey of the portion of the bridge built on the Indian side.
“The standard operating procedure (SOP) on preventive measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus will be observed during the meeting,” a senior BSF official said.
BRIDGE AND SHARE OF CONSTRUCTION
The 420-metre bridge was to be constructed under the Kartarpur Corridor project last year. India built the 100-metre stretch of the bridge in its territory before the corridor’s inauguration last year. Pakistan had expressed its inability to construct the 320-metre portion in the stipulated time but promised to complete the construction in the coming days.
The construction of bridge was necessitated as the low-lying area of the border gets inundated when the Ravi river is in spate every year.
Pakistan had built a causeway on the low-lying stretch as a temporary measure.
FIRST MEETING SINCE COVID OUTBREAK
This is the first meeting between officials of India and Pakistan since the borders were closed due to the Covid-19 outbreak in March.
India temporarily suspended the pilgrimage and registration for the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan on March 16 in view of the pandemic. Pakistan also closed the corridor after India’s decision.
On June 29, Pakistan announced it has reopened the corridor for pilgrims from India. Amid rising Covid cases, the Indian government is yet to decide on the matter.
On Wednesday, the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) urged the Indian government to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor for Sikh devotees on the occasion of Guru Nanak’s Joti Jot Diwas, the day of immersion in eternal light, on September 20.
