Uttarkashi trekking hit as Nepalese porters asked to register as foreign nationals

DEHRADUN: In an unprecedented move, Nepalese citizens working as porters on high-altitude trek routes in Uttarkashi’s inner-line permit areas near the international border have been asked by the administration to register online as foreign nationals with passport and visa details, a move that trekking agencies said has stalled peak-season expeditions and left groups booked for routes such as Kalindi Pass in uncertainty.
Trekking agencies in Uttarkashi have objected to the direction.

Garhwal Himalaya Trekking and Mountaineering Organisation submitted a memorandum to the govt on May 23, saying no such requirement had been sought earlier from Nepalese citizens working as porters on Uttarkashi trekking routes.

The development came days after Uttarakhand high court, in a separate case, questioned whether the India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship, 1950, gave Nepalese citizens an unrestricted right to work, settle and buy property in India, and asked govt to clarify whether Indian nationals received equivalent privileges in Nepal.

Jayendra Singh Rana, president of the organisation’s Uttarkashi unit, told TOI: “There are at least five such trek routes, including the one near Kalindi Pass, which generates most business for us. The authority to issue inner-line permits for trekkers and mountaineers has asked us to get the porters registered on the Foreigners Registration Office’s online portal.”

Rana said the requirement had complicated operations because many Nepalese porters did not work with passports and visas in India due to the special movement arrangement between the two countries. “Asking for passports and visas from Nepalese porters would be in violation of the India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship, 1950, which grants freedom of movement and special treatment to each other’s citizens. Even if they produce passports, how will they get work visas from Indian authorities in Nepal? There is no such existing provision for Nepalese nationals at present,” he said.

Article 7 of the 1950 treaty states that India and Nepal shall grant each other’s nationals, on a reciprocal basis, the same privileges in matters of residence, ownership of property, participation in trade and commerce, movement and other similar privileges. The treaty context has recently come under judicial scrutiny in Uttarakhand high court, which asked govt to explain the practical scope of reciprocity and what privileges Indian nationals actually receive in Nepal.

Manoj Rawat, secretary of the organisation’s Uttarkashi unit and a trekking agency operator, said around 120 registered agencies in the district had been affected because many groups had already booked expeditions to routes in inner-line permit areas. “We are hanging in limbo because this development came to our notice about three days ago and we had already secured bookings from trekking groups. All agencies heavily rely on Nepalese porters for these routes because they are considered physically capable of handling demanding conditions at those altitudes,” Rawat said.

Rawat said agencies were being forced to hold trekking groups back from proceeding towards some routes due to the shortage of experienced porters. “We can’t afford to hire porters who have never ventured into inner-line areas because these routes require prior expertise and experience. We urge authorities to find an amicable solution so that both our business and the district’s tourism sector are protected,” he said.

Uttarkashi’s high-altitude routes include Kalindi Pass, which the district administration describes as a 5,990-metre pass connecting Gangotri valley with Badrinath and one of the most difficult trekking routes in the region. Several routes near the international border require inner-line or special permission because of their proximity to sensitive frontier zones, and permit checks are handled through district and local administrative channels.

SDM, Bhatwari, Shalini Negi told TOI: "As per the guidelines, foreign nationals have to apply at the DM's office for online FRO registration process. I have instructed the trekking body delegation to approach the DMO for a solution under the existing rules and regulations.”