The Ravi River’s increasing waters swamped the Zero Line at Dera Baba Nanak in the Gurdaspur district on Thursday. This led to the suspension of the Kartarpur Corridor to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in neighbouring Pakistan for three days. Himanshu Aggarwal, the deputy commissioner for Gurdaspur, stated that they had suggested to the authorities that they postpone the pilgrimage for two days.
Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Pilgrimage Suspended
The Dera Baba Nanak shrine in the Gurdaspur area is connected to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan by the Kartarpur corridor. Following significant rainfall in the area, 2.8 cusecs of water were released into the Ujh river in Jammu, raising the water level in the Ravi. Ranjit Sagar Dam also let out some water.
On Thursday, pilgrims arrived at the Dera Baba Nanak checkpoint as usual to travel to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, which is 5 kilometres from the Zero Line and accessible via the corridor that was inaugurated in 2019 to commemorate the 550th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism.
The pilgrims were asked to wait at the passenger terminal before the passage was suspended for three days by the authorities of both nations because they did not want to take a chance.
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Villagers Observed That The Zero Line Was Submerged
In the Gurdaspur district, the Ujh and the Ravi combine at Makora Pattan. The Ravi overflowed as a result, and it is known that it breached an embankment in neighbouring Pakistan. The river’s catchment area’s low-lying portion, where the Zero Line runs, was flooded.
Early on Thursday morning, villagers observed that the Zero Line was submerged. Beyond the barbed barrier, there were farmers who claimed that the floodwater had harmed their crops.
According to several farmers, the bundh in Pakistan was intentionally destroyed, allowing water to enter India. Himanshu Aggarwal said that they are checking with BSF and cannot assign responsibility without first checking the facts.
He expressed hope that soon normalcy would return and claimed the water level was progressively dropping. He claimed that the administration is working to strengthen the Dhussi Bundh’s weak points. (As per Hindustan Times)
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