Meeting on Kartarpur corridor takes place in Home Ministry; diplomats discuss land acquisition 

A meeting to discuss the modalities on the Kartarpur corridor took place at the Home Ministry on Tuesday. Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba chaired the meeting in which Chief Secretary Punjab, DG BSF, DG Intel Punjab and Indian envoy to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria were also present. The meeting lasted approximately 45 minutes.

The diplomats discussed land acquisition for the corridor on the Indian side, among other issues.

The Home Ministry is the nodal ministry that coordinates with the concerned authorities, including the local government. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is the nodal ministry for the building and the development of the corridor on the Indian side.

According to sources in Pakistan, India is likely to propose a formal meeting on the Corridor to Pakistan. The meeting may happen between the third week of January and February first week. Pakistan would accept the proposal and invite for a meeting, as and when proposed.

Meanwhile, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh has written to Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the Kartarpur corridor and requested him to scrap the condition of mandatory passport for devotees and put simple procedures in place.

This, he said in the letter, will enable "khulle darshan deedar” of the holy Gurudwara.

The Punjab CM suggested that any valid government document, such as the Aadhaar card, should be used for identification purposes. In the letter, he called on the central government to create adequate infrastructure at the border crossing to handle a large number of pilgrims. He added that the land proposed to be acquired should factor in both present and future requirements.

The Indian government on November 22 approved the building of the Kartarpur corridor on the Indian side from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district till the border. On the same day, India informed Pakistan about its decision and urged Islamabad to develop a corridor on its side from the International Border to Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib.

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu laid the foundation stone for the corridor on the Indian side on November 26, 2018. Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone on November 28 in Pakistan.

Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Minister of State (IC) for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri represented the Indian government at the ground-breaking ceremony for development of Kartarpur Corridor on the Pakistan side.