Chandigarh, Dec 3 (IANS): The Punjab cabinet on Monday passed a special resolution to set up a Dera Baba Nanak Development Authority to develop and beautify the area in and around Dera Baba Nanak town ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of Sikhism's founder, Guru Nanak Dev.

The 550th birth anniversary will take place in November next year and the year-long celebrations were kicked off by the government on 'Gurpurb' on November 23.

The Punjab cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday, welcomed the opening of the Kartarpur corridor as a historic step to mark the occasion.

The Chief Minister has already announced a slew of development projects to upgrade infrastructure and facilities for the lakhs of pilgrims expected to visit the area during the historic occasion.

With thousands of pilgrims expected to visit the shrine at Kartarpur in Pakistan, the Dera Baba Nanak area is expected to see a lot of development in coming years in terms of infrastructure, transport facilities, hotels, shops, restaurants and related activities.

"The cabinet noted the persistent efforts by Chief MInister Amarinder Singh which culminated in the momentous decision to open the corridor," a spokesperson said here.

It was at the Kartarpur gurdwara in Pakistan, around two to three kilometres from the India-Pakistan border and right opposite the border belt in Dera Baba Nanak in Indian's Punjab's Gurdaspur district, that Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539) spent 18 years of his life till he died.

The gurdwara has major significance in Sikh religion and history.

For the past over 71 years, even since partition, Sikhs have been offering prayers near the international border while seeing the gurdwara at a distance.