9 hours ago
Rung traders seek revival of India-China trade at Lipulekh border
Pithoragarh: Traders from the Rung community, who have historically engaged in India-China border trade through Lipulekh Pass, are demanding its resumption and have expressed deep disappointment over its continued suspension this year.
Border trade has remained shut since 2019.
"Trade between India and Tibet through Lipulekh has been ongoing since ancient times. Though it was halted after the 1962 India-China war, it resumed in 1992," said Daulat Singh Raypa, general secretary of India-China Border Trade Association. The
Kailash Mansarovar yatra
, which also passes through Lipulekh, began in 1981. Both the pilgrimage and trade continued uninterrupted until 2019, when operations were suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
While the yatra has been permitted to resume this year, border trade remains suspended. "We were hopeful trade would also restart once the yatra resumed, especially since Lipulekh is now connected by road," said Raypa. The construction of the Tawaghat–Lipulekh road was completed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in 2022. "We were very enthusiastic because road connectivity reduces both time and costs and makes trade more viable," he added.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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Since the Chinese govt granted permission to Nepali Rung traders to resume border trade in 2024, "the Indian Rung community must also be allowed without delay," said Jeevan Singh, president of the traders' union. "We met central ministers and urged them to restart the border trade," he added.
In 2019, 40 traders left unsold goods in godowns and shops, with an estimated Rs 2 crore worth of items stuck in the Chinese mandi at Taklakot, said Singh.
