Venkaiah Naidu lays foundation stone for Kartarpur corridor

Gurdaspur, Nov 26: Vice President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu laid the foundation stone for the construction of Dera Baba Nanak - Kartarpur Sahib road Corridor at a function in village Mann in Gurdaspur district of Punjab on Monday.

Union minister for road trip and highways Nitin Gadkari, union minister of food processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Capt. Amrinder Singh, Chief Minister of Punjab will be present on the occasion.

In the landmark decision, the Union Cabinet had on Thursday approved building and development of Kartarpur corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to International Border to commemorate the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ji in 2019.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said India has responded well to Pakistan's initiative in its bid to bring the Sikh community closer. The Minister told this yesterday during his visit to the stall of Indian High Commission at the Pakistan Foreign Office Women's Association charity bazaar.

Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan is located across the river Ravi, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Punjab's Gurdaspur district. It was established by the Sikh Guru in 1522. The first Gurdwara, Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, was built here, where Guru Nanak Dev is said to have died. The corridor, once built, will give Indian pilgrims easy access to the shrine and boost the tourism in the region.