Latest news with #trans-Himalayan
Hans India
16 hours ago
- Business
- Hans India
China's military aggression deals big blow to border trade through Nathu La: Report
Kathmandu: As many as 400 families depending on trade between Sikkim and Tibet are facing difficulties due to the prolonged closure of the border which has hit the common people on both sides, a report has highlighted. The thriving border trade through Nathu La and the other two routes - Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand and Shipki La pass in Himachal Pradesh - came to a halt in 2020 when the Chinese army violated a series of bilateral protocols in eastern Ladakh. "Officially, the reason for the suspension in border trade is shown to be the pandemic, but the fact remains that the pandemic ended long ago while the trade remains suspended for the past five years. The real reason for the suspension in trade is aggressive moves by China on the border, beginning in 2017 with the incursion in the Doklam Plateau in Bhutan, which is close to Nathu La," Nepal's online news portal Hamrakura reported. Quoting Tshephel Tenzing, the General Secretary of Gangtok-based Nathu La Border Trade Association, it mentions that the repeated Chinese aggressions across the border with India have only brought suffering and hardships for the common people in the trans-Himalayan region. According to Tenzing, the Tibetan traders and labourers are also facing financial hardships since the closure of the trade. "He (Tenzing) had interactions with Tibetan traders at the trade marts when trading was on. Since the beginning of the border trade, the financial conditions of these Tibetans had improved. Most of the Tibetan labourers engaged in the border trade came from Tromo County, a part of the Shigatse prefecture in the plateau. Only they could travel up to the Indian trade mart at Sherathang, not the Chinese businessmen engaged in the border trade. The Tibetan traders and labourers in Tromo County have suffered the most because of the closure of the Nathu La border trade," the report detailed. As per the Border Trade Association 400 trade passes used to be issued every year to traders in Sikkim to do business with traders in Tibet. The association has now written to the Sikkim Government to provide these traders with alternative employment. "About 150 drivers ferrying merchandise from Gangtok to the Sherathang trade mart on the Indian side and Rinchenpong on the Tibetan side are facing loss of income since the closure of the trade. Some of them have now started driving taxis and buses on the mainline passenger routes in Sikkim," the report states.
New Indian Express
10-08-2025
- Science
- New Indian Express
Experts blame decades of deodar tree felling for worsening Uttarkashi clouburst
DEHRADUN: Decades of indiscriminate felling of deodar trees are being squarely blamed by both scientists and local residents for the devastating scale of the August 5 cloudburst tragedy in Dharali, Uttarkashi. As central and state government expert agencies launch intensive probes into the catastrophic rain-induced event that swiftly plunged the region into mourning, a consensus is emerging that extensive deodar loss directly magnified the disaster's ferocity. Scientists unequivocally state that had Dharali retained its historical deodar forest cover, the impact of this calamity would have been significantly reduced, if not negligible. Deodar trees possess a unique and crucial characteristic: their dense, intricate root systems are vital for binding soil, preventing erosion, and effectively impeding the downward flow of debris and water during torrential rains or landslides. Dr Ajay Singh Rawat, an internationally acclaimed environmentalist and author-historian renowned for his extensive work on Uttarakhand's environment, emphasized the gravity of the situation in an exclusive interaction. 'The Dharali tragedy should serve as a serious lesson for us,' Rawat asserted. 'Deodar trees play an absolutely crucial role in environmental protection and in binding the very soil of these vulnerable Himalayan regions.' Dr Rawat, who has penned several authoritative books on Uttarakhand's forests and ecological challenges, offered a poignant historical perspective. 'Once, the high and trans-Himalayan regions of Uttarakhand – specifically areas above 2,000 meters above sea level – were densely forested with deodar trees,' he explained. 'An average of 400 to 500 deodar trees populated every square kilometre.' 'Whether it was a cloudburst or a landslide,' Rawat underscored, 'the inherent qualities of deodar trees prevented debris and water from cascading downwards unchecked.' The devastating natural disaster in Dharali has surprisingly cast a spotlight on Frederick Wilson, a British East India Company soldier who arrived in the region 185 years ago. Escaping Company rigidity in the 1840s, Wilson found refuge in Garhwal's remote Harsil. He is credited with revolutionizing the region's economy by pioneering the lucrative deodar timber trade, ingeniously floating logs down the Bhagirathi River.
New Indian Express
10-08-2025
- Science
- New Indian Express
Experts blame decades of deodar tree felling for worsening Uttarkashi cloudburst
DEHRADUN: Decades of indiscriminate felling of deodar trees are being squarely blamed by both scientists and local residents for the devastating scale of the August 5 cloudburst tragedy in Dharali, Uttarkashi. As central and state government expert agencies launch intensive probes into the catastrophic rain-induced event that swiftly plunged the region into mourning, a consensus is emerging that extensive deodar loss directly magnified the disaster's ferocity. Scientists unequivocally state that had Dharali retained its historical deodar forest cover, the impact of this calamity would have been significantly reduced, if not negligible. Deodar trees possess a unique and crucial characteristic: their dense, intricate root systems are vital for binding soil, preventing erosion, and effectively impeding the downward flow of debris and water during torrential rains or landslides. Dr Ajay Singh Rawat, an internationally acclaimed environmentalist and author-historian renowned for his extensive work on Uttarakhand's environment, emphasized the gravity of the situation in an exclusive interaction. 'The Dharali tragedy should serve as a serious lesson for us,' Rawat asserted. 'Deodar trees play an absolutely crucial role in environmental protection and in binding the very soil of these vulnerable Himalayan regions.' Dr Rawat, who has penned several authoritative books on Uttarakhand's forests and ecological challenges, offered a poignant historical perspective. 'Once, the high and trans-Himalayan regions of Uttarakhand – specifically areas above 2,000 meters above sea level – were densely forested with deodar trees,' he explained. 'An average of 400 to 500 deodar trees populated every square kilometre.' 'Whether it was a cloudburst or a landslide,' Rawat underscored, 'the inherent qualities of deodar trees prevented debris and water from cascading downwards unchecked.' The devastating natural disaster in Dharali has surprisingly cast a spotlight on Frederick Wilson, a British East India Company soldier who arrived in the region 185 years ago. Escaping Company rigidity in the 1840s, Wilson found refuge in Garhwal's remote Harsil. He is credited with revolutionizing the region's economy by pioneering the lucrative deodar timber trade, ingeniously floating logs down the Bhagirathi River.
India Gazette
18-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Sikkim CM meets delegation from Indian Himalayan Council of Nalanda Buddhist Tradition in Delhi
New Delhi [India], June 18 (ANI): Chief Minister of Sikkim, Prem Singh Tamang, held a meeting with a delegation from the Indian Himalayan Council of Nalanda Buddhist Tradition (IHCNBT) in the national capital on Wednesday. According to a Sikkim Chief Minister's Office statement, the delegation was led by the President of IHCNBT, His Eminence Padma Thegtse Rinpoche. During the meeting, His Eminence briefed the Chief Minister on the Council's extensive work at the national level, particularly its efforts to promote and preserve Buddhist traditions across the trans-Himalayan region, spanning from Arunachal Pradesh to Ladakh. As per the statement, Chief Minister Tamang lauded the Council's commitment and contributions toward the spiritual and cultural enrichment of the Himalayan Buddhist community. He assured the delegation of the continued support of the Government of Sikkim in their initiatives. The Chief Minister also shared the various initiatives and developmental work undertaken by the Sikkim Government in support of the Buddhist community in the state. In response, the IHCNBT delegation extended its heartfelt gratitude to the Chief Minister for his support and encouragement. Earlier, on March 21, the First General Assembly of the Indian Himalayan Council of Nalanda Buddhist Tradition was successfully held at the India International Centre (IIC) in New Delhi. The assembly brought together 120 Buddhist representatives from various Himalayan states for a historic discussion on safeguarding cultural identity and religious heritage. Key figures present included Lochen Tulku Rinpoche, then-President of IHCNBT; Maling Gombu, General Secretary; Sonam Wangchuk, a founding member; and Rajiv Kumar, Director of the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), among other distinguished participants. In his keynote address, Lochen Tulku Rinpoche had emphasised the urgent need to preserve indigenous Himalayan languages and transform monasteries into modern learning centres. 'We must be Buddhists of the 21st century,' he said, underlining the importance of comprehensive knowledge of Buddhist philosophy and practice. He also noted the Council's achievement in securing recognition for the Bhoti language through NIOS, following the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. (ANI)
