Dera Baba Nanak, July 1: The dargah spotted in the right of way (ROW) of the 3.6-km-long passage of the Kartarpur corridor has turned out to be fake.
On Sunday, Dera Baba Nanak SDM Gursimran Singh ordered to cover the structure with soil to ensure that it doesn’t act as an impediment in the construction of the corridor. Several labourers, accompanied by nearly 50 policemen, covered the structure. The road will now be constructed over it.
Earlier, Ceigal India Limited, a Ludhiana-based private company hired by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to complete the project, which hit a roadblock after a dargah and a temple were spotted in the designated ROW. It is mandatory to construct the corridor within the limits of ROW.
Jeetendra Singh, vice-president, Ceigal India Limited, said: “The work was stopped on around 100-m stretch. We took the decision only after we found that the structure was fabricated by the caretaker. The original dargah does not actually fall within the designated ROW and land records proved that the one recently constructed was a sham.”
Cabinet minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said the corridor by all means would be complete by October 31.
Meanwhile, the temple issue remained unresolved.
Sources said the temple’s management committee was based in New Delhi and its members would be arriving soon to discuss the vexed issue with officials.
“The land on which the temple is built has already been acquired. However, we will have to discuss the issue with the committee members before we take any action,” Jeetendra said.
An official said if the committee members do not come up with a positive response, a part of the temple, including its outer wall and a room, would be demolished.
“This may create problems. That is why we are insisting on a plan that will benefit all stakeholders,” the official added.
No dialogue on causeway
There has been no headway in talks pertaining to the contentious issue of Pakistan building a causeway in its territory.
The NHAI wants to build a bridge instead of the causeway. An official said: “If a causeway is constructed there are chances of it being flooded, defeating the very purpose of the corridor. If we can build a bridge on the Indian side, what is stopping the Pakistan government from doing so on in their territory? If there is a bridge, there will be no flooding at all.”
