Several pilgrims traveled through the Kartarpur Corridor on Wednesday and others planned to offer prayers at the historic Sikh shrine in Pakistan as the route reopened after a gap of 20 months. Kanwaljit Sodhi, a resident of Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur, said, “When we came to know about the reopening of the Kartarpur Corridor, our happiness knew no bounds and this happiness cannot be expressed in words.” Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said on Tuesday that the government has decided to reopen the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor from Wednesday.
The Kartarpur Corridor connects Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, with the Dera Baba Nanak Temple in Gurdaspur district. Guru Parv, which is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, will be celebrated on November 19.
The pilgrimage to Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara was suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. The Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) said the pilgrimage to the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara began on Wednesday and added that it has facilitated the travel of the pilgrims through the corridor. LPAI in a statement said, “The first two pilgrims were given a warm farewell by the Manager ICP at the ICP Gate. The pilgrimage to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib through the Kartarpur Corridor formally begins today. Welcome. Kartarpur Corridor #DeraBabananak,” tweeted posting pictures of the pilgrims.
Another tweet further read, “Our team at PTB Dera Baba Nanak is facilitating the travel of pilgrims through Kartarpur Sahib Corridor.” LPAI develops, sanitizes and manages facilities for cross-border movement of passengers and goods at designated points along India’s international borders.
Ahead of the reopening of the Kartarpur Corridor, LPAI Chairman Aditya Misha on Tuesday held a meeting with all the stakeholders at the Integrated Check Post Dera Baba Nanak to take stock of the preparations. Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi along with his ministers will be part of the first ‘jatha’ (group), which will visit Kartarpur Sahib on Thursday, officials said.
He said that Gurdaspur district administration is busy in preparations for the first batch’s visit on Thursday. With the Centre’s move to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor, devotees eager to offer prayers at the historic temple are extremely excited.
Sodhi, who is a teacher, said that he has been waiting for this day for so long to offer prayers at the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara. Neetu Bedi, another resident of Dera Baba Nanak, said that in 2020, she had planned to visit the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara, but she could not go as the pilgrimage was postponed due to the Covid outbreak.
“This time we will go to Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara and offer prayers,” he said. The residents of Dera Baba Nanak also feel that the reopening of the corridor will give a boost to business, especially the hospitality sector.
Officials said RT-PCR reports and thorough vaccination certificates are mandatory for the pilgrims. Residents of Dera Baba Nanak town said that many people visit Dera Baba Nanak daily to get a glimpse of Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara.
A few days ago, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu had demanded the Center to fulfill its promise of setting up a ‘darshan sthal’ equipped with binoculars, which would allow devotees, who do not have passports, to have clear ‘darshan’. ‘ So to receive. Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara. An estimated 70,000 pilgrims have visited the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara since it was opened in November 2019.
The Kartarpur Corridor, which gives Indian devotees visa-free access to the final resting place of Guru Nanak Dev, was inaugurated by the Prime Minister. Narendra Modi On November 9, 2019, to mark the 550th birth anniversary of the first Sikh Guru. The Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara is located at a distance of about four kilometers from the Dera Baba Nanak Temple across the Ravi River in the Narowal district of Pakistan.
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