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Updated: Mar 19, 2019 22:41 IST

To discuss the technical issues regarding the proposed corridor to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, teams of officials from Pakistan and India on Tuesday held a meeting in no man’s land on Indo-Pak border in Dera Baba Nanak. The team of experts from both the countries discussed alignment, coordinates, and other engineering aspects of the proposed crossing points.

The meeting, held in makeshift tents, comes days after the two countries held talks to finalise the modalities for the corridor. The technical meeting at the level of experts, including engineers and surveyors, was held in the follow up to the decision reached in the March 14 meeting, said sources.

The Pakistani team that included 20 delegates was received by the Dera Baba Nanak sub-divisional magistrate Gursimran Singh Dhillon. The 14-member Indian team had officials from the Land Ports Authority of India, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), BSF and the Punjab government.

After discussions, the teams demarcated points with green and orange flags on the passage. The outcomes of the site visit and survey would be discussed at a meeting on April 2, said sources.

The teams discussed about the exact location of the zero point where both the roads, one leading from Pakistan and the other from Indian side will meet. This road will form an integral part of the corridor. The construction of the integrated check post (ICP) on the Indian side, too, was discussed. The construction and alignment of two gates, one on each side, was also discussed, said sources.

The media and officials of the Gurdaspur administration were not allowed to be part of the meeting. Even devotees who had come to view the shrine associated with Guru Nanak were asked to deposit their mobile phones and other gadgets with cops.

The construction of the ICP, to be built on 50 acres, started on Monday. “The construction of the ICP is a cumbersome and time-consuming process. The actual road (corridor), which will be 4.5km, will be completed within 60 days. That’s why we are interesting in building the ICP first. Later, we will focus on the road,” said an official of the Land Ports Authority of India.

Last November, India and Pakistan agreed to set up the border crossing linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, the final resting place of Guru Nanak, to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district.

Kartarpur is located in Pakistan’s Narowal district across the Ravi, about 4km from the Dera Baba Nanak.