After India-China talks, border traders in U'khand seek early start of business via Lipulekh pass

Pithoragarh: Border traders of Pithoragarh's Dharchula area have welcomed the decision to reopen trade through the Lipulekh pass and urged the govt to start business at the earliest.

Suspended since 2020 due to Covid-19, the India-Tibet border trade is set to resume after the two neighbours agreed on Aug 18 to reopen three passes — Shipki La in Himachal, Nathu La in Sikkim and Lipulekh in Uttarakhand.


About 265 trade passes -- 69 traders and 196 helpers -- were issued by district administration and "trade volume here is said to be around Rs 30 million", as per the last official record in 2019.

Welcoming the move to resume business, general secretary of border trade association, Diwan Singh Raypa, said, "Trading season usually runs from July to Oct, but was earlier extended till Nov, leaving nearly 100 days for govt to facilitate arrangements so that business can resume this year." "Traders' goods are largely dumped in godowns at Taklakot on Tibet's side, which was affecting us. So, govt gave us some subsidy for that," added Jeewan Singh, the association's president.

Besides the pandemic, tension with Nepal had also impacted the trade. On May 8, 2020, defence minister Rajnath Singh had inaugurated a 75-km long road connecting Lipulekh pass with Dharchula area in Pithoragarh in order to make the commute easier for Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrims on the Indian side.Nepal took exception to this, claiming that "a part of the road was built on its territory". Months later, Nepalese govt released an "amended" political map, showing Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura (areas in India) as part of its territory. On Wednesday, Nepal again took exception to Lipulekh, reiterating its claim on Kalapani. The govt of India strongly rejected it.

The border trade via Lipulekh has been going on for decades. It was stopped in 1962, and was started again in 1992. In 1981, the Kailash Mansarovar journey started and both trade and yatra were held on the same Darchula-Lipulekh route.



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