India on Tuesday reiterated that construction work for the Kartarpur Corridor project that will allow pilgrims here to access the famed gurudwara on Pakistani territory was on track. Giving a detailed description of the work under way, sources said a passenger terminal building, a four-lane highway and other amenities were being built at a fast pace.
The response came after The Tribune newspaper carried a report suggesting that India was lagging behind, whereas Pakistan had completed 70% of the work.
“A four-lane highway connecting zero point of the Kartarpur corridor up to National Highway 354 is being constructed by the National Highway Authority of India. Nearly 45% of the work has been completed. The road is scheduled to be completed by 30 September 2019,” said the source.
The source also pointed out that a state-of-the-art passenger terminal building was being constructed by the Land Ports Authority of India. The work is expected to be completed by October 31 at a total cost of ₹177.50 crore.
In an interview to The Tribune, Punjab Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa had claimed that Pakistan had completed 70% of the work for the Corridor project while India was lagging.
The controversy arose just days before the July 14 meeting between Indian and Pakistani teams that will discuss the infrastructure work under way. “The issues related to providing facilities for the pilgrims, including allowing larger number of pilgrims to move across the corridor. Other modalities for the Kartarpur Corridor would be further discussed at the forthcoming meeting on 14 July 2019,” said the source.
The facilities on both sides of the international border are expected to be ready by the time celebrations begin in November in Kartarpur for the 550th birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev.