‘No flooding this side, resume pilgrimage to Kartarpur Sahib’

Amritsar: A day after India suspended the day-long pilgrimage to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan, owing to flooding of Kartarpur corridor due to the monsoon rains, the Pakistan government on Friday appealed that the same be resumed.Rana Tariq, deputy secretary of the Project Management Unit that manages the Kartarpur Corridor, told on Friday evening that there were no floods or any flood-like situation on the Pakistan side of the Kartarpur corridor He urged the Indian side to promptly resume the pilgrimage.In a video message, Gobind Singh, the head granthi of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur Sahib, said that a few days ago, the river Ravi had flooded. However, he claimed that the water levels had significantly receded since then, and at present, there were merely 2 to 3 inch of water on the Zero Line.Notably, Deputy Commissioner, Gurdaspur Dr. Himanshu Aggarwal had suspended the day-long pilgrimage to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur for the safety of pilgrims for three days. On Saturday, the administration would conduct an inspection and could allow the pilgrimage form Sunday.Gobind said that the sangat from India faced a significant challenge as the corridor was closed, preventing them from paying their obeisance at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur Sahib.“Despite the closure of the corridor by the Indian side , various government departments, including PMU, Punjab Disaster Management teams, Evacuee Trust Property Board, Irrigation, Public Works Department etc. have made all necessary arrangements including stationing buses, boats, and rescue teams to ensure the safety and well-being of the pilgrims to handle any situation that may arise” said Gobind adding that “despite these efforts, it is disheartening to witness that the sangat from India was unable to visit the sacred site during this time”.He also showed the main gurdwara building, parikarma claiming that there was no flood water.