Sidhu writes to Modi and Khan; suggests no-construction zone around Kartarpur gurdwara

Smita Sharma
Tribune News Service 
New Delhi, January 20

Punjab Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday wrote letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan premier Imran Khan as both countries prepare to open the Kartarpur corridor to commemorate the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.

In his letters to both prime ministers, he has cautioned against any disfiguring of the historic Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara on the Pakistani side and Dera Baba Nanak Gurdwara on the Indian side in the name of “commercialisation” and “tourist comforts”.

“The sacredness and serenity of Kartarpur Sahib and Dera Baba Nanak Gurdwara Sahib await the footfalls of our pilgrims. Yet precisely our footfalls have the power to erode the history, architecture and ecology of these sites,” Sidhu wrote in his letters differing slightly in content that The Tribune has accessed.

Suggesting that the land where Guru Nanak Dev spent 18 years of his life be declared a “heritage village”, Sidhu has suggested ways to preserve the sanctity of the corridor and the pristine landscape and terrain. 

Sidhu has suggested that no concrete structures be built around the gurdwaras and avoiding altering the historic sites and also regulate the flow of pilgrims.

“We must move primarily on foot with an exception only for elderly, disabled or sick, along with providing accessible amenities such as toilets. Personal transport should be eschewed at all costs,” wrote Sidhu suggesting walking trails to be developed along the fields and tourist facilities to be eco-friendly. 

“Waste disposal should be carefully planned and executed. Garbage from the use of plastic bags, bottles and packaged foods has no place,” added Sidhu, who was first blamed for the Kartarpur corridor row last year by political parties here before both countries agreed to progress on the issue. 

Sidhu in his letter has also suggested that local and traditional artefacts must be allowed and encouraged  in the ‘bazaars’ around the area.

“We can kindly turn away any form of ‘shopping complex’ that sells fast food or utilises plastic wares. We can welcome folk art and the music of rabbis and folklorists to perform around the area,” wrote Sidhu to both PMs.  

As a sixth additional suggestion to PM Modi, the minister said that the local land can be used for organic cultivation of food crops to serve ‘langar’ to the devotees.