Nepal keen on reopening Chinese trade routes as blockade continues

Reeling from continuing blockade of entry points by Madhesi agitators, Nepal seems keen on reopening its trade routes to China across the Himalayas shut after the devastating earthquake of April last. This, despite the fact that trans-Himalayan passes cannot facilitate movement of goods and people the way roads between India and Nepal do.

There are at least seven big or small routes that link Nepal with China. Of them, Tatopani, linking Kathmandu with Tibet's Khasa by the 110-km Araniko Rajmarg, is slated to be a "dry port" for trans-Himalayan trade. Currently, Nepal has one such "dry port" in Birgunj on the Nepal-Bihar border that is linked to Kolkata port, the Himalayan nation's only access to third countries by sea.

Work is on in full swing to reopen Tatopani. News reports have quoted Balbhadra Giri, chief district officer of Sindhupalchok, where the border point is situated, as saying, "Tatopani will be operational by Tuesday." Kathmandu and Beijing are yet to decide if the route could be used for transport of petroleum products. Owing to difficult terrain and poor infrastructure, other passes are not suitable for big trade.

In what may further alienate Delhi, Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), which is ruling the country in partnership with Nepali Congress (NC), has sent student volunteers to Tatopani to help Nepali and Chinese officials rebuild the border point that saw death and devastation in the earthquake. Reports from Kathmandu said CPN-UML had sent similar contingents of its cadres to Sindhupalchok district on a rescue-and-relief mission immediately after the earthquake.

On top of all this, CPN-UML chairman Khadga Prasad Oli, who is tipped to be Nepal's next prime minister, is not only critical of India's "role" in the ongoing border blockade, but is also resentful of the Madhesi agitation. He has angered the agitators by deriding their "manav sanglo'' (human chain) that they had organised across the terai on Gandhi Jayanti as "makho sanglo" (a chain of flies). Opposition Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) has backed Oli in the race for the PM's office.

With two of Nepal's most important festivals, Bada Dashain and Tihar, also known as Dussehra and Diwali, round the corner, pressure is mounting on Kathamandu to look for alternative sources of energy and other essential commodities. By tradition, Nepalis from across the globe return home to celebrate the twin festivals, which last almost a month. A national organisation of gas dealers has asked the government to find alternative routes and tell the country when the situation will be normal.

Reports say a team of Nepali delegates led by their ambassador to India, Deel Upadhaya, on Monday met Indian foreign ministry officials in Delhi and asked them to ease movement of supply vehicles to India. The Nepali side reportedly assured India about providing security to transport operators.