dharchula lipulekh road

India and China border trade via Lipulekh Pass will resume in June after a six-year hiatus, following a COVID-19 suspension. This reopening, despite ongoing territorial disputes with Nepal, is expected to boost local trade significantly. Improved road connectivity promises reduced travel times and costs for traders and pilgrims.

A landslide blocked the vital Tawaghat-Lipulekh road in Uttarakhand's Dharchula, stranding vehicles and cutting off access to three valleys. The BRO swiftly cleared the debris, restoring access late Saturday. The slide, likely caused by road widening, occurred near Tawaghat. Luckily, the reduced winter traffic prevented any casualties or property damage on this treacherous route to Kailash Mansarovar.

The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) continued a precarious rescue operation on the Lipulekh-Tawaghat highway in Pithoragarh near the India-China border, where a massive landslide on Tuesday evening had washed away a 100-metre portion of the crucial Lipulekh-Tawaghat road near Lakhanpur and left 300 people, mainly pilgrims of the Adi Kailash yatra, stranded.

After a five-year hiatus, the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via Lipulekh Pass will resume on June 30, accommodating 250 devotees in five groups. Suspended in 2020 due to Covid-19 and border tensions, this year's pilgrimage marks the first road journey on the Indian side, thanks to the completed Tawaghat–Lipulekh road.

An 80-km strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass at a height of 17,000 feet along the border with China in Uttarakhand with Dharchula was thrown open by defence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday. The new road is expected to help pilgrims visiting Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet as it is around 90 kms from the Lipulekh pass.

The border road from Dharchula to Lipulekh was blocked on Malghat due to a landslide caused by heavy rain.

In a strong reaction to Nepal releasing a new political map showing areas like Lipulekh and Kalapani under its territory, India on Wednesday said such artificial enlargement of territorial claims will not be acceptable to it and asked the neighbouring country to refrain from "unjustified cartographic assertion".