Coronavirus Closes Kartarpur Corridor
In view of the growing hazards posed by the coronavirus, the Central government has closed the Kartarpur Corridor till further orders. Due to this restriction, which came into force from Sunday night, around 350 pilgrims, who were ready to go to Kartarpur on Monday, are now stuck.
This corridor connects Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur to the Darbar Sahib in Pakistan.
On Monday, 356 pilgrims were supposed to leave for Darbar Sahib and among them, several had reached the Gurdaspur Passenger Terminal. But they were left disappointed after the orders for entry restrictions were issued; pilgrims returning from Pakistan were a dejected lot. Special precautions are being taken on international borders due to the risk of the spread of the coronavirus. According to officials of the Health Department posted at the Gurdaspur Passenger Terminal, the complete travel history of pilgrims bound for Pakistan was being checked. The Kartarpur Corridor had opened on November 9, 2019, after a 72-year-long wait. According to Home Ministry data, 62,206 pilgrims have paid obeisance at Dera Baba Nanak in the last 128 days. Pilgrims bound for Darbar Sahib are now waiting for an end to travel restrictions. Each year, Sikhs also visit Pakistan on the occasion of Baisakhi. This time, a batch of Sikhs is preparing to visit Pakistan on April 11. The Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) is busy in these preparations despite the hazards posed by the coronavirus. The SGPC is hopeful that by that time, the peril of the coronavirus will end. Along with the visit to the Kartarpur Corridor, the Central government has ordered all passengers to suspend all travel to Pakistan. Apart from this, all movement on the India-Bangladesh, India-Nepal and India-Myanmar borders has also been stopped. The Home Ministry has said that barring a few check-posts, movement on all these international borders will remain suspended from March 15.
Also Read:
On Monday, 356 pilgrims were supposed to leave for Darbar Sahib and among them, several had reached the Gurdaspur Passenger Terminal. But they were left disappointed after the orders for entry restrictions were issued; pilgrims returning from Pakistan were a dejected lot. Special precautions are being taken on international borders due to the risk of the spread of the coronavirus. According to officials of the Health Department posted at the Gurdaspur Passenger Terminal, the complete travel history of pilgrims bound for Pakistan was being checked. The Kartarpur Corridor had opened on November 9, 2019, after a 72-year-long wait. According to Home Ministry data, 62,206 pilgrims have paid obeisance at Dera Baba Nanak in the last 128 days. Pilgrims bound for Darbar Sahib are now waiting for an end to travel restrictions. Each year, Sikhs also visit Pakistan on the occasion of Baisakhi. This time, a batch of Sikhs is preparing to visit Pakistan on April 11. The Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) is busy in these preparations despite the hazards posed by the coronavirus. The SGPC is hopeful that by that time, the peril of the coronavirus will end. Along with the visit to the Kartarpur Corridor, the Central government has ordered all passengers to suspend all travel to Pakistan. Apart from this, all movement on the India-Bangladesh, India-Nepal and India-Myanmar borders has also been stopped. The Home Ministry has said that barring a few check-posts, movement on all these international borders will remain suspended from March 15.
In the wake of #COVIDー19 India outbreak, the Central Government shuts the #KartarpurCorridor till further orders. After the ban was implemented from Sunday midnight, nearly 350 devotees are trapped who were on their visit to #Kartarpur on Monday@ShahnawazMalik_ #coronapocolypse pic.twitter.com/uxl550t4Wb
— GoNewsIndia (@GoNews_India) March 16, 2020
Latest Videos
