Sidhu suggests measures to 'preserve sanctity of Kartarpur Sahib' in letter to PM Modi, Imran Khan

Punjab Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday wrote letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan, suggesting measures to be taken up by the two countries "to preserve the sanctity of Kartarpur Sahib and Dera Baba Nanak Gurudwara Sahib."

"Baba Nanak's corridor has brought together people and nations, leading us into times of shared peace and prosperity. The sacredness and serenity of Kartarpur Sahib and Dera Baba Nanak Gurdwara Sahib await the footfalls of our pilgrims," he stated in the letter.

"Yet precisely our footfalls have the power to erode the history, architecture, and ecology of these sites. We who revere most their pristine landscape and terrain must tread lightly to avoid disfigurement in the name of commercialisation and tourist comforts," Sidhu stated in the letter.

The Punjab Minister suggested that new concrete structures should not be built in and around the revered sites and that no historical structure should be altered. He further said that personal transport must be barred, and pilgrim's movement should be regulated.

Sidhu further stated that local lands could be used for the cultivation of organic food, which can be used to serve 'langar' for the pilgrims, and drink water "sustainably" from the waters of Baba Nanak's well.

His other suggestions included proper waste disposal systems, encouraging the use of local and traditional artifacts at nearby 'bazaars' refraining from 'shopping complexes' that sell fast-food or utilise plastic wares, and promotion of folk art.

"Baba Nanak's corridor opens the way to a sacred pilgrimage. We have a duty to devote ourselves to its future as well as its past," Sidhu said in the letter.