75 traders from Kinnaur seek permits for Tibet

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 28

A total of 75 traders from Kinnaur have sought trade permits to be able to go across into Tibet from the Shipki La trade point with their goods as part of the India-China trade even though not a single Chinese trader has entered India till date since the trade was resumed here in 1994.

The applications received by Tehsildar (Pooh) and the Industry Department have been forwarded to the Home Department for clearance. The clearance from the CID and intelligence is mandatory before issuance of these permits to traders hailing from the border villages of Namgya, Chango and Pooh, close to the border with Tibet.

The trade, which had registered exports of Rs 3.10 crore and imports of Rs 3.17 crore last year when 77 traders went inside Tibet, is expected to be good this year.

Though the demand of the trades for the setting up of a single window for the convenience of the traders is yet to be fulfilled, traders from Kinnaur visit Tibet with their goods from July onwards though officially the trade is thrown open from June 1 to November 30 every year.

The trade, which had remained sluggish till 2011, picked up considerably as 12 new trade items were added in 2012. As part of normalization of relations between India and China, the trading post at Shipki La, at a height of almost 18,600 feet, was thrown open in 1994.

The ban on import of livestock, including horses and goats, in 2013 has made the trade very unattractive for several traders. The livestock has always been in great demand on the Indian side and used to fetch very good prices during the International Lavi fair at Rampur held every year in November.

Last year, a record number of 125 traders had applied for getting the trade permit even though the number who travelled into Tibet was less and the volume of total trade was Rs 5.33 crore, including exports and imports, almost for equal amount.

In order to promote the trade between the two nations, traders from Namgya, Chango and Pooh villages have formed the Kinnaur Indo-China Traders’ Association. They formed the body so that they could seek government’s help to address the problems being faced by them, including their demand for setting up of a single window.

The traders have also been demanding setting up of a Trade Mart at Chappan and provision made for canteen and medical facilities at certain points on the trek to Tibet. The 12 new items, including carpets, spices, handloom goods, herbal medicines, shoes and ready made garments, were added to the list.