Traders demand motorable road to Shipki La

SHIMLA : As trade volume goes down between India and China at 18,599 feet Shipki La in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district, traders demand construction of a motorable road.

The trade between two countries resumed through Shipki La in 1994 after India and China signed a bilateral treaty and since then they have been using mules for the trade.

"Both India and China should construct a motorable road to facilitate traders as this will help in increasing the trade volume,” president of Kinnaur Indo-China Trade Association Hishey Negi said. Negi, who raised the demand for motorable road with district administration on Wednesday, said government needs to improve facility of trade route.

Indian traders travel by road to Namgya, 22km from Pooh, and then to border village of Chuppan near China. They reach zero point on the border and trek for six hours along with mules to reach Shipki, a village in China-controlled Tibetan Autonomous Region.

“There is no water facility for us on the border village. It is difficult to manage water for mules. We have demanded installation of water tank from government at zero point,” resident of Pooh Shyam Singh Negi said.

Traders have also demanded setting-up of a laboratory for quarantine of livestock traded from China. Livestock comprised a major portion of cross-border trade but it was banned on Shipki La route in 2012 due to lack of facilities. India majorly imported chigu — goats reared for wool and meat in China-controlled Tibet. “All demands are being looked into but the demand for motorable road can only be considered by the Centre,” general manager of small scale industries in Kinnaur SC Negi said.