Gujarat: Indian and Pakistani expert teams have initiated steps towards conducting a joint survey of the long-disputed Sir Creek border in north-west Kutch. Both the teams comprise six members each.

"The Indian team is led by Brigadier Samudra from Surveyor General of India (SGI) while the Pakistani team is led by Captain Mohammed Arshad. Both the teams met here yesterday as a prelude to the main survey exercise and will meet again after a week to chalk out modalities for conducting the survey," sources here said.
 

The ground survey is expected to commence soon after next week s meeting, sources said. The teams are likely to commence the survey from the G-Pillar-46 in watery portion of the 99-kilometer-long creek area.

 Earlier in year 2005,a joint team had surveyed the marshy land portion of the Sir Creek upto G-Pillar-46.

The Indian team arrived at the Jakhau Port in an Indian Navy ship Satlaj , while the Pakistani team arrived in a boat.

The Indian team will camp at Koteshwar on the Kori Creek, while the Pakistani team will have its base at Rathopir-Liyakatali border observation post (BOP) of Pakistani Marine Agency.

 This time around, only the watery portion of the Creek will be surveyed to decide the maritime boundary between the two countries.

After pillar number 46,nothing is visible on the surface of the water to demarcate the maritime boundary. Sources said that determination of the maritime boundary will also help in deciding the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of both the countries.