New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at Sultanpur Lodhi in Punjab on Saturday morning a few hours before he will inaugurate the Kartarpur Corridor. The Prime Minister was received by Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and other ministers at the airport, after which he visited the Ber Sahib Gurudwara. 



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Post the Kartarpur Corridor inauguration, PM Modi will flag off the first batch of over 500 Indian pilgrims that will travel to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib of Pakistan's Punjab province through the Kartarpur Corridor which is being thrown open on the occasion of 550th birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev. 


PM Modi will also inaugurate passenger terminal building, also known as Integrated Check Post, where pilgrims will get clearance to travel through the corridor. 


Among the first group of pilgrims who will travel to Kartarpur are former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, CM Amarinder Singh, Union Ministers Hardeep Puri and Harsimrat Kaur Badal, her husband and former Punjab deputy CM Sukhbir Badal and other ministers and MLAs. 



Congress MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu was also given political clearance to visit the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.


At Dera Baba Nanak, to accommodate the rush of pilgrims, many of whom will be coming from distant places and even aboard, 30 acres have been transformed into a well-equipped tented city.


India and Pakistan will hold separate ceremonies on either side of the border to inaugurate the corridor. Pakistan PM Imran Khan will inaugurate the corridor from his side. 


The town is all set to welcome its pilgrim guests, in a manner befitting the historic celebrations with its 544 European style tents, 100 Swiss cottages and 20 Darbar style accommodations.


The main 'pandal' has a capacity of 30,000 pilgrims, expected to converge here on each day of the Dera Baba Nanak Utsav till November 11.


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The 'langar' or community kitchen hall is designed to serve 1,500 people at a time, with a kitchen equipped with modern facilities.


The tented city project was developed at an outlay of Rs 4.2 crore for accommodation of 3,544 people.


Other features of the tent city include a registration room, a 'joda ghar', a cloakroom, a VIP Lounge and a fire station.


India and Pakistan had signed an agreement in October to operationalise the 4.2 km Kartarpur Corridor to allow Indian pilgrims a visa-free visit to the holy gurdwara, believed to have been built on the site where Guru Nanak died in the 16th century, and located some 4 km inside Pakistan.


(With agencies inputs)