4-member Pak team visits Dera Baba Nanak for survey of bridge over Ravi
AMRITSAR: A four-member team of engineers from Pakistan on Thursday held a meeting with Indian officials over the construction of a portion of a bridge under the Kartarpur corridor project in their territory.
The Pakistan team — comprising Murad Ali Kasana (GIS expert), Amjad Ali (chief surveyor), Tariq Mehmood and Muhammad Faisal (both surveyors)—also conducted a detailed survey of the portion of the bridge that has already been constructed on the Indian side.
Around 400-metre bridge was to be constructed under the Kartarpur Corridor project last year. India built the 100-metre stretch of the bridge in its territory before the corridor’s inauguration in November last year. Pakistan, however, had expressed its inability to construct its portion in the stipulated time, but promised to complete the construction in the coming days.
The bridge’s construction was necessitated as the low-lying area of the border gets inundated when the Ravi is in spate every year. A causeway on the low-lying stretch was constructed as a temporary measure.
An hour-long meeting was held at the bridge on the Indian side at Dera Baba Nanak. The eight-member Indian technical team included vice-president of Ceigall India Jatinder Singh, National Highways Authority of India junior engineer Nishant, Land Ports Authority of India (Dera Baba Nanak Integrated Check Post manager Dalbir Singh, assistant commandant of 185 battalion of the BSF Kaushal.
“Pakistan is going to start the construction of the bridge on its side and the meeting was held for the survey of the bridge constructed on our side,” said Jatinder Singh.
He said: “During the meeting, a detailed discussion was held regarding the finished road level (FRL) and the central line of the bridge. Nothing other than the survey was discussed. After making survey data drawing, they (Pakistan) will start the construction of the bridge.”
Singh said it will take around a year to complete the bridge.
This is the first meeting, arranged by the BSF, between officials of India and Pakistan since the borders were closed due to the Covid-19 outbreak in March. India temporarily suspended the pilgrimage to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur on March 16 in view of the pandemic. Pakistan also closed the corridor after India’s decision. On June 29, Pakistan announced it has reopened the corridor for pilgrims from India.