Dera Baba Nanak sees ray of hope

GURDASPUR: Neglected since Independence due to its location along the international border, Dera Baba Nanak is looking to the visa-free Kartarpur corridor as a panacea for economic development.

“Real estate prices in the area have (already) risen tenfold. Even big hoteliers from Delhi and Mumbai are ready to invest here,” said a local, anticipating an influx of business.

GURDASPUR : Dera Baba Nanak — the last resting place of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism— is expected to see a spurt in economic activity after the announcement of the Kartarpur corridor.

Located less than 2km from the International Border and 7km from Kartarpur gurdwara, the town in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district also has two historic gurudwaras — Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (also by the same name as the Kartarpur shrine) and Gurdwara Chohla Sahib.

“Residents of surrounding villages prefer to visit Batala and Fatehgarh Churian towns for shopping. This affected the business here. With the announcement of the corridor, local traders are seeing a hope of revival,” said Gurkirpal Singh, a local resident.

Dera Baba Nanak municipal council president Perneet Singh Bedi said, “It was a large town before Partition. Keeping its population and business activity in mind, the British formed the municipal council in 1885. But after 1947, many started migrating from here to big towns.”

“The 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars forced the locals to leave the place. Two floods and militancy added to the woes of those stayed back. This is perhaps the only Punjab town whose population has been going down. Presently, it has 6,400 residents,” he said.

According to the 2001 census, the population of the town was 7,500.